Dillon Brooks was the Phoenix Suns’ top scorer when he swung his leg into Jamal Murray’s groin on a turnaround jumper early in the third quarter. By the time officials had reviewed the play, upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 and sent Brooks to the locker room, the Nuggets led 84-76.

The game only got worse for Phoenix from there. Murray scored 28 of his 39 points in the second half as the Denver Nuggets beat the Suns 127-120 in their NBA Cup group stage opener on Friday night in Phoenix.

Brooks had been the best player on the floor until the moment he lost his cool. He had 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting when he tried a turnaround jumper over Murray with 8:05 to play in the third quarter, kicked his right leg out, and caught the Denver guard between the legs. Officials initially called an offensive foul and then upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 on review, an automatic ejection. Murray stayed down for a moment before getting up and walking it off.

Murray’s third quarter from 3-point range

Murray shot 7-of-9 from 3-point range and finished 10-of-18 from the floor, with 28 of his 39 points coming after half-time. Christian Braun added 31, after scoring 22 in the first half on 8-of-10 shooting and 6-of-6 from three. Nikola Jokic ran the offence around them with 18 points and 10 assists, and all five Denver starters finished in double figures. The Nuggets made 20 three-pointers at 52.6 per cent.

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Devin Booker scored 20 points on his 30th birthday, but Phoenix had no answer once Brooks was gone.

“He’s shooting the ball”

After the game, Murray was asked whether he thought the kick had been deliberate. He did not think so.

“No, of course not. He’s shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don’t think he’s really trying to kick me in the (groin),” Murray told reporters.

That reading was easier to understand once Murray mentioned who Brooks is to him off the court. The two are Canada national team team-mates, and Murray called Brooks “a buddy” when describing their relationship.

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Denver moved to 1-0 in NBA Cup group play; the Suns fell to 0-1.

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