Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM ET
Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ | Game ID: 22501050
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 35 22 38 28 123DEN 28 39 30 28 125
ESPN UpdateESPN Update
Nikola Jokic has 23 points, knocks down late bucket to send Nuggets over Suns 125-123
PHOENIX -- — Nikola Jokic had 23 points, 17 rebounds and tied a season high with 17 assists to lead the Denver Nuggets over the Phoenix Suns 125-123 on Tuesday night.
Jokic made the go-ahead basket, knocking down a 12-foot jumper with 11.5 seconds left. Phoenix's Devin Booker got a good look at a potential winning 3-pointer, but it bounced off the rim.
The Suns trailed 117-109 with 3:19 left, but methodically worked their way back. Booker made a tough jumper in the lane to tie the game at 123 with 30.2 seconds remaining. He had 22 points and eight assists.
Jokic had his NBA-leading 29th triple-double of the season by early in the third quarter. The three-time MVP shot 9 of 16 from the field and delivered several pinpoint passes, including one that went the full length of the court for a layup by Christian Braun .
The Nuggets have fought injuries for most of the season, but are now close to full strength. Jamal Murray had 21 points and Tim Hardaway Jr . added 18 off the bench.
Denver had a 10-point lead at halftime, but Jordan Goodwin and Grayson Allen made back-to-back 3s late in the third to help Phoenix cut the deficit to 97-95 heading into the fourth. Allen and Jalen Green both had 21 points.
The Nuggets have won six of their last eight games and are 1 1/2 games behind the Lakers for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.
The sliding Suns have dropped six of seven and face an uphill battle to avoid the play-in tournament. They're currently the No. 7 team in the West.
Jokic — who picked up an early technical foul after heated comments toward referee Dannica Baroody — had 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists before the halftime break.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXCG C. Gillespie
DB D. Booker
GA G. Allen
JG J. Goodwin
JG J. Green
KM K. Maluach
OI O. Ighodaro
RF R. Fleming
RO R. O'Neale
DENAG A. Gordon
BB B. Brown
CB C. Braun
CJ C. Johnson
JM J. Murray
JS J. Strawther
JO Jokic
NJ N. Jokić
SJ S. Jones
TH T. Hardaway Jr.
PHX/DEN the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur