Trey Murphy III may have won the 3-point shooting contest with Michael Porter Jr., but the Nuggets won where it mattered.
Porter scored a season-high 36 points on Monday night, and Denver overcame Murphy’s 41-point heat check for a 125-113 victory over New Orleans. The two Western Conference foes are due for a rematch Wednesday at Ball Arena.
In Nikola Jokic‘s second matchup against the Pelicans’ weak center rotation this season, he compiled 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists — his seventh consecutive triple-double against New Orleans.
Porter added seven rebounds, two assists and a block while shooting 7 of 12 from the 3-point line, outdone only by Murphy’s scorching 8-for-12 night.