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Christian Braun scored 31 beside Murray's 39, and our board now has him 33 places above the consensus

Braun had 22 points by halftime in Denver's NBA Cup win in Phoenix, Jamal Murray made seven of nine threes, and Collin Gillespie had 10 assists for the Suns. Braun is the add.

By · 2 min read

Denver's fifth starter is supposed to be the quiet one. In the Nuggets' 127-120 NBA Cup win in Phoenix on Friday, Christian Braun had 22 points by halftime on 8-for-10 shooting and finished with 31, while Jamal Murray scored 39 on 7-for-9 from three and 28 after the break, according to ESPN's recap. Nikola Jokić had 18 points and 10 assists, all five Denver starters reached double figures, and Dillon Brooks was ejected in the third quarter after kicking Murray. For Phoenix, Collin Gillespie had 16 points and 10 assists off the bench.

Ranks from our projections board and the analysts' consensus, updated nightly.

Braun's night is the one worth a fantasy manager's attention, because the 31 points sit on top of a role that has been there all season: he has played between 33 and 40 minutes in all five of Denver's games. Murray's is the one that confirms a story we have been telling since his bad opener in Oklahoma City.

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All stories in the NewsroomOctober 31, 2026

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