Nuggets' dominance on second night of back to backs continues in Oklahoma City

The Denver Nuggets have been the NBA’s best team on the second night of back to backs this season. They’re 10-1 in second games within a 48-hour period. In November, the Nuggets clipped the Thunder on the second night of a back to back in Oklahoma City. On Friday, they did the same, coming away with a 115-105 win to earn a 4-0 regular-season sweep of the Thunder and improve to 51-24 overall.

Michael Malone, who’s often relied on just eight players in recent weeks, leaned heavily on his bench in what was Denver’s sixth game in nine days. The regular reserves, Monte Morris (four points, seven assists), Mason Plumlee (11 points on 5-for-5 shooting) and Malik Beasley (seven points), all contributed, but so did Torrey Craig and Trey Lyles. Craig hit a pair of 3s and played solid defense, while Lyles connected on a triple for the first time since Feb. 8.

As for the starters: Jamal Murray led the way with team-highs in points (27) and assists (nine). He hit a 3 late in the shot clock with roughly 1:30 remaining that pushed Denver’s lead to 12. Nikola Jokic, who had 23 points and 16 rebounds, also made his share of big plays in the last two minutes, nearly spinning Steven Adams out of his sneakers, dropping in a layup and then drawing a charge on the other end.

The Nuggets’ offense was humming after three straight games of scoring under the 100-point mark. They shot 56.5% from the field and handed out 30 assists on 48 made field goals. They also drilled 14 of 33 3s.

Denver washed the taste out of its mouth after an ugly showing in Houston. It faces the Wizards on Sunday at home.