Jamal Murray put together one of the better individual scoring nights of the young NBA season on Friday, pouring in 39 points to help the Denver Nuggets hold off the Phoenix Suns 127-120 in Emirates NBA Cup group play.

Murray's total was the fourth-highest scoring output by any player across the entire league slate that night, according to a league-wide daily scoring summary, putting him in the company of several of the night's marquee performers, including Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic in the Warriors-Lakers game played the same evening.

Phoenix made it a game late, closing the gap and forcing Denver to answer with its own buckets down the stretch rather than coasting on an early cushion, but the Nuggets' offense had enough firepower across the night to hold on for the seven-point final margin.

A FOURTH-BEST NIGHT, A HARD-FOUGHT WIN

The win keeps Denver near the top of its Emirates NBA Cup group as the in-season tournament's group stage continues. Group-play results factor into seeding for the knockout rounds later in the season, giving every October and November matchup extra stakes beyond the regular standings.

Both teams return to action in the coming days as group play continues across the league, with Denver looking to build on Murray's hot shooting night and Phoenix hoping to tighten up the late-game defense that let this one slip away.