Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
LOS ANGELES – Canada’s Jamal Murray scored a regular season career-high 50 points as the Denver Nuggets crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-103 on Friday night in Cleveland.
Murray, who scored 50 points in two playoff games last season, surpassed his previous high of 48 points in Denver’s 115-107 win over the Boston Celtics in November 2018.
Murray, whose mother is from Syria and father was born in Jamaica, made 21 of 25 shots from the floor and drained eight threes for the Nuggets, who led 69-50 at halftime.
The Nuggets beat the Cavs for the second time in 10 days, this time shooting 57.5 percent from the floor.
Michael Porter scored 22 points in the first half, and Nikola Jokic earned 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets.
Jokic turned 26 on Friday.
American Collin Sexton scored 23 points, and Jarrett Allen tallied 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who extended their NBA losing streak to nine games.
The league tweaked the schedule on Friday.
The Detroit Pistons will now visit the New York Knicks on March 4. The game had been planned for the season’s second half, after next month’s all-star break. Instead, it will be played on the final day before the break.