Braun hits career-high 31 points

Christian Braun scored a career-high 31 points for the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

The forward made seven three-pointers in a 127-120 win over the Phoenix Suns. Braun and teammate Jamal Murray became the first pair of Nuggets to make seven threes in the same game. Both players finished with a 7-for-9 shooting line from deep.

The performance ended a rough start for Braun, who had gone 2-for-17 from three-point range in his first two games of the season. His 3-point percentage jumped from 11.8% to 40% after the win. The turnaround began two days earlier in New Orleans.

During a game against the Pelicans, Aaron Gordon repeatedly told Braun to shoot the ball. The two argued about shot timing for much of the contest. Gordon wanted Braun to fire away when open, while Braun preferred to pass the ball early in the shot clock to create better options for his teammates. Braun eventually hit a three-pointer with 4:25 remaining in that game. He made two more before the final buzzer.

Nuggets coach David Adelman said he felt a difference in Braun's confidence during the Phoenix game.

“What I loved about it was there really wasn’t any pause,” Adelman said. “There’s nights you watch guys when even if they shoot it … you don’t feel the confidence. Tonight, I did. He just let the thing go.”

Braun acknowledged the mental battle he faces as the fifth-best offensive player in the starting lineup. He often chooses to pass open shots to Nikola Jokic or Murray because of their talent. That hesitation can lead to turnovers if the defense recovers.

“Obviously, I’m open. Getting a lot of good looks because of how we’re played normally,” Braun said. “I think naturally, when you’re missing, you want to pass them up. Especially when you have such talented offensive players on our team.”

Murray said he has encouraged Braun to shoot with confidence for years. He noted that Braun’s ability to keep shooting after misses is his biggest improvement. Murray also recalled a pre-game challenge he gave Braun three years ago in New Orleans, which led to a then career-high 25 points.

Braun’s shooting history shows a decline over the last two seasons. He shot 39.7% from deep in his third year, which secured a $125 million contract extension. His fourth season was cut short by injury, and he shot 30.1% from three-point range. This season, opponents are leaving him open while focusing on Jokic and Murray. If Braun can maintain his current shooting numbers, the Nuggets' offense will have another reliable threat.

Braun said his process has not changed, only the results. “I think I’ve been shooting the ones that are open and passing them when they’re not,” he said. “So it’s easy to say something has changed. Nothing has changed. Process was the same. They just went in.”