Christian Braun Shoots 7 Threes, Lifts Nuggets Past Suns

Christian Braun scored 31 points and made seven 3-pointers as the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 127-120. He and Jamal Murray each shot 7-for-9 from deep, the first time two Nuggets teammates have hit that many in the same game.

Braun's first shot came after a stretch of misses. He opened the season 2-for-17 from 3-point range. He hit a 3-pointer with 4:25 left against New Orleans with Denver leading 93-85, then made two more that night. Five games in, his shooting percentage is 40%, up from 11.8%.

Aaron Gordon pushed him to shoot during the New Orleans game. Braun argued against taking early attempts, but Gordon kept telling him to fire. Braun said, "But those guys need me shooting them when I'm open. That way in the playoffs, it's easier for them."

Braun went 6-for-6 from deep in the first half against Phoenix and hit another 3 at the 2:15 mark of the fourth quarter to push Denver's lead to 11. Coach David Adelman said, "What I loved about it was there really wasn't any pause.. He just let the thing go."

Braun's shooting numbers from past seasons explain why teammates keep urging him to shoot. He hit 39.7% of his 3-pointers on 2.8 attempts per game in his third season, which led to a $125 million contract extension. He shot 30.1% on 3.3 attempts per game the next year, a season cut short by injury.

Defenses leave him open on purpose. They double-team Nikola Jokic or swarm Murray and leave Braun on the perimeter. Braun said he sometimes passes up open looks because he wants to get the ball to Jokic or Murray instead.

Murray said the change is mental. "That's been his biggest improvement, honestly. Really the mental aspect of fighting through the misses," Murray said. He added that when Denver passes up open shots, "we turn it over" and drive back into the defense.

Braun said the process has not changed. He said he has been shooting open looks and passing difficult ones all season. The shots just started falling after the New Orleans game.

Murray has challenged Braun before. Three years ago in New Orleans, he dared Braun to try a step-back jumper, and Braun scored 25, a career high at the time. Braun finished with 31 against Phoenix on Friday night.