Nuggets notebook: Jamal Murray's complete night; Lakers coach Darvin Ham sees championship contender in Denver

Jan. 9—Denver — The 34 points were just a part of what Michael Malone liked about Jamal Murray's game Monday.

"The best version that we've all seen of Jamal Murray was in the bubble. That version wasn't just the guy who scored 50 twice in the first round against Utah. It was a guy that was just so locked in on both ends of the floor," Malone said after Denver's 122-109 win over the Lakers.

"It's not just the scoring I lo

ok for. I look for where is his effort level and focus on the defensive end. Where's his rebounding at? I mean, he's a big, strong guard. Where's his playmaking at?"

His rebounding total finished at seven, four of which came on the offensive glass. The four assists answered the playmaking part, though Nikola Jokic did most of that with 16 helpers on the night. Two steals and Dennis Schröder's 3-for-13 night from the field spoke to Murray's defense.

"Jamal's defense on Schröder tonight was great," Malone said.

Offensively, Murray scored his 34 points on 29 shots. He made 5 of 9 from 3-point range and 3 of 4 at the foul line.

"Man, I was getting them up, huh," Murray said of his number of shots.

"I was just playing basketball, and I was open when I shot it most of the time. Coach ran some post-up plays for me, so I shot it down there, too."

Malone said Murray should be taking nine 3s a night based on his ability to create space and knock down open shots. Murray's not keeping track, but he is listening.

"They always say when I shoot more 3s, we do a lot better," Murray said. "So, I try to fulfill that."

It's more than the box score, though. Malone said he can tell when Murray's at his best when he's playing with an attacking mindset and a little bit of swagger.

"You can see when he has it," Malone said. "Tonight, obviously, he was very, very aggressive. He had just a terrific night."

Lakers coach thinks Nuggets look like contender

Darvin Ham knows a championship contender when he sees one, and that's what he thinks when he looks at the Nuggets.

As a player, Ham won a title with the Pistons in 2004. In his first year as coach of the Lakers, he's still expected to know what a championship squad looks like.

"We'll have our hands full, as will the rest of the league, anytime you face this team. You have to make sure you understand what you're trying to do in terms of gameplan," Ham said prior to Monday's game.

"The only thing you can do is hope to make things hard and not give them anything."

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The Lakers have done a pretty good job of that so far. The Nuggets entered the night averaging 116.7 points per game. In three previous games this season, two of which the Lakers won, Ham's squad held the Nuggets to 110 points in the first two meetings and 108 in the third. The Lakers coach wasn't giving up the details of his gameplan pregame just in case he needs it when the playoffs roll around.

"You just have to remain as competitive as possible and just maintain your multiple efforts for the course of a 48-minute game," Ham said.

"There is no exact science. There is no recipe to stop them. Jamal, Joker or any of those guys."

That's part of what has Ham believing the Nuggets could be one of the last teams standing at the end of the season.

"I think they're going to be right there when it's all said and done and right there at the top of the food chain," Ham said.

"They have a really, really talented ball club that's really well-coached."

Nuggets vs. Human Nature

The scoreboard could easily have read "Nuggets vs. Human Nature."

Without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves, among others, Michael Malone was more worried about his team playing with the right disposition.

"This will be a great test to see, OK, (it's) easy to get up for Memphis, Boston, the Clippers, whoever else. A team that, coming in, has won five games in a row but without a lot of their main guys, can we have some sense of maturity and just play our game? Understand why we have gone 9-2 in our last 11 games and play the same way."

Human nature has been a worthy opponent this season. Whether it was the season-opening loss against a Jazz team expected to be in the draft lottery, dropping a home game to the Pistons or defeats by shorthanded Hawks and Pelicans squads, Malone has seen his team pay the price for taking opponents lightly and hoped that wouldn't be the case Monday.

"We have been playing really well as of late and it's always about us first and foremost," Malone said. "You have to fight human nature when a team is out LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker, Austin Reaves, Troy Brown and all of those guys. You can't relax."

NUGGETS 122, LAKERS 109

What happened: The Nuggets stretched their home winning streak to 11 games Monday at Ball Arena.

A 10-0 run in the middle of the first helped the Nuggets take a six-point advantage to the second. Jamal Murray scored 10 of his points in the second quarter and helped the Nuggets extend the lead to 62-48 at halftime.

The Lakers closed within five in the third quarter. The Nuggets answered with a 16-6 run that made it a 15-point game to start the fourth. The lead grew to 20 in the first two minutes of the fourth, which was enough for the Nuggets to stretch their win streak to four games.

What went right: The Nuggets' stars set the tone in two different ways. Nikola Jokic was looking to distribute from the jump, as evidenced by his 16 assists against five shot attempts. He made all five of his shots and was also perfect at the line to finish with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 16 assists, his 11th triple-double of the season. Jamal Murray was more than happy to pick up the scoring load. Murray made 13 of 29 shots and finished with a season-high 34 points.

What went wrong: Super Mascot Rocky couldn't hit his backward shot from half-court, and there were still a lot of Lakers fans in attendance. Outside of a sloppy stretch or two, everything else on the court went pretty smoothly for the Nuggets.

Highlight of the night: The second might have been the best of Nikola Jokic's 16 assists Monday. Early in the first quarter, Jokic dribbled down the right side of the court before using a spin move to get to the baseline. With the ball in his outstretched right hand, Jokic wrapped a pass around his defender and between a couple of onlooking Lakers. Aaron Gordon cut down the middle of the lane and caught the pass, finishing with a two-handed dunk.

On deck: The Nuggets close a four-game homestand Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.