On January 20th at 7 a.m. Beijing time, the Denver Nuggets faced off against their nemesis, the Orlando Magic, in an away game. Last season, the Magic completed a double-kill over the Nuggets, sweeping them in the season series! This season, the Orlando Magic has been hit by a severe injury wave. Even though their star player, Paolo Banchero, has recovered from his injury, key players such as Franz Wagner, Jonathan Isaac, Cole Anthony, and Markelle Fultz are still on the injury list, significantly weakening the team's fighting power. This has directly led to the Magic falling from fourth place in the Eastern Conference to seventh. Facing a weakened Magic lineup, the Nuggets have a rare opportunity for revenge! According to statistics, Jamal Murray averaged 18.7 points in the first 20 games of the season, but in his last 15 games, he has been averaging 22 points with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.4%. With Jamal Murray regaining his form and Russell Westbrook fitting perfectly into the starting lineup, the Nuggets are developing in a positive and healthy direction. The Nuggets' starting lineup for this game includes Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Bruce Brown, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray.
The Magic's starting lineup consists of Markelle Fultz, Paolo Banchero, Chuma Okeke, Wendell Carter Jr., and Franz Wagner. The game began with the Magic taking an early lead, 8-3, forcing a timeout from the Nuggets! Jokic hit a mid-range shot, Okeke responded with a layup, Carter Jr. nailed a three-pointer, Brown finished a fast-break dunk, Banchero scored two points with a putback, and Okeke, Porter Jr., and Fultz exchanged three-pointers. Jokic scored with a floater, Westbrook made a layup, Carter Jr. hit a mid-range shot, and Jokic scored four more points. Strus finished a fast-break layup, ending the first quarter with the Nuggets trailing the Magic 28-29 by one point.
In the second quarter, the Magic went on a 6-2 run, forcing another timeout from the Nuggets! Houston hit a three-pointer, Watson scored inside, Isaac added another three-pointer, and Murray scored four points. Isaac hit another three-pointer, Black made a bank shot, Brown scored a 2+1 play, and Anthony scored with a putback. Westbrook made an impressive mid-air layup, Porter Jr. made three free throws, Westbrook scored again, and Carter Jr.'s buzzer-beating three-pointer missed, ending the half with the Nuggets leading the Magic 54-52 by two points.
In the third quarter, Jokic hit a three-pointer, Anthony scored four points, Fultz hit a three-pointer, Westbrook drove to the basket, and Brown hit a three-pointer, forcing a timeout from the Magic! Carter Jr. scored with a floater, Porter Jr. and Brown combined for seven points, Isaac finished an alley-oop dunk, Jokic scored a 2+1 play, Banchero also scored a 2+1 play, and Murray scored eight points in a row. Quinn's shot was blocked, and at the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led the Magic 93-77 by 16 points. Jokic achieved a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists!
In the final quarter, Murray hit a mid-range shot, Gordon made a bank shot, Anthony hit a three-pointer, Gordon scored a 2+1 play, Black finished a dunk, and Strus hit a three-pointer, forcing another timeout from the Magic. The Nuggets extended their lead to 21 points, and the game entered garbage time early. Ultimately, the Nuggets won a big victory over the Magic, 113-100, securing their second consecutive win while handing the Magic their third consecutive loss.
Nuggets' stats: Brown had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Porter Jr. had 15 points and 6 rebounds, Jokic had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, Murray had 19 points and 4 assists, and Westbrook contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in three quarters, reminiscent of his peak form. Gordon had 9 points and 3 rebounds.
Magic's stats: Banchero shot 17 times and made only 4, scoring 10 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Carter Jr. had 16 points and 14 rebounds with 5 assists, Fultz had 12 points, Anthony had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Isaac had 10 points and 6 rebounds.