Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during overtime against the LA Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray React to Tim Hardaway Jr.'s Breakout Game

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets picked up a huge 127-114 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night to improve to 2-1 on the season, but more importantly, they looked to be in mid-season form.

Nikola Jokic shined with his third consecutive triple-double, dropping 25 points, 19 rebounds, and ten assists, while Jamal Murray finished with a game-high 43 points on 16-29 shooting from the field.

When Jokic and Murray are clicking like that, the Nuggets are a very hard team to beat, but they still got some help from their supporting cast. Tim Hardaway Jr. had his best game in a Nuggets uniform, dropping 20 points on 7-11 shooting from the field and 4-6 from beyond the arc in 32 minutes off the bench.

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

After Cam Johnson left Monday's game with a shoulder injury, the Nuggets had to turn to Hardaway Jr. to provide a scoring spark, and he stepped up big time.

Jokic and Murray give Hardaway Jr. his props

After Monday's game, both Murray and Jokic praised Hardaway Jr. for his 20-point performance.

"It was really good to see him get in a rhythm," Murray said. "Tim was a huge part of it. Setting good screens, running the floor, executing the plays, and just moving without the ball, you know, just doing what he does... Just ready to play. He gave us that real spark off the bench."

Denver drastically improved their depth this offseason, adding guys like Hardaway Jr., Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas, and the Nuggets will be one of the best and deepest teams in the NBA as all of these pieces continue to click.

"Tim was amazing," Jokic said. "He had how many points? He had a lot of points. Yeah, 20 points, that's a lot... Everybody stepped up."

The more help that the Nuggets give Jokic and Murray, the more dangerous this team will be come playoff time. On a night where Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun were all quiet offensively, the Nuggets got a huge performance from Hardaway Jr., with Peyton Watson chipping in off the bench as well.

After scoring just 14 points on 5-14 shooting from the field in his first two games as a Nugget, it was relieving for everyone to see Hardaway Jr. get things going on Monday, and hopefully, he can continue to be a spark off the bench moving forward.