It wasn’t convincing and took four games, but the Nuggets got their first win of the current five-game road trip.

Here are three takeaways from Denver’s 137-134 win Friday in Philadelphia over a short-handed 76ers squad.

1. Nothing is going to be easy for the Nuggets until they can find a way to make things harder on opposing defenses. Despite scoring more than 30 points in each of the first three quarters, the game was tied in the final minute thanks to Denver’s inability to get stops against a Philadelphia team that was without Joel Embiid, Paul George and a few others. Guerschon Yabusele set a new career-high in the middle of the third quarter and finished with 28 points on 17 shots. Nikola Jokic finished with 28 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for Denver, but his defensive struggles against a 76ers squad that played small and spread Denver’s defense out were louder than his offensive success until his takeover in the final minutes. Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 42 points on 15-of-26 shooting, while Kelly Oubre Jr. added 27 for the 76ers. With that kind of offensive performance, Denver should’ve been able to get its heavy-minutes guys some rest on the first night of a back-to-back. But that wasn’t the case.

2. Jamal Murray might need to commit to his new hairstyle if he’s going to play like that. Murray debuted an afro look in Philadelphia that reminded some of Julius Erving. Murray scored more than 30 points for the second consecutive game, finishing with 31 on 12-of-22 shooting. He also dished out 11 assists, grabbed six rebounds, recorded a steal and blocked a shot, while committing just one turnover, in 40 minutes of playing time. He helped secure Denver’s win with a couple of clutch free throws in the final four seconds. It was another indication that Murray’s turned a corner after his inconsistent start to the season.

3. If the Nuggets want to keep this group together for the rest of the season, they should start playing like it. Michael Malone’s squad flirted strongly with a second head-scratching loss during this road trip, though it was little fault of the rotation players most likely to be traded. Michael Porter Jr. dropped 24 points and six rebounds. He made 10 of 14 shots and hit a couple of big 3-pointers. Julian Strawther was nearly perfect from the field and led the reserves with 18 points. Christian Braun posted another impressive performance in his second game coming off the bench, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Peyton Watson took just four shots but made three of them, adding six points, four rebounds and three assists. Even though the Nuggets got the win, it wasn’t the type of performance that should lead Calvin Booth to shut down trade talks. Denver only has three games left before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

NUGGETS 137, 76ers 134

What happened: The Nuggets led by two after the first quarter and took a 73-69 advantage to halftime. Philadelphia closed within three points to start the fourth, but Denver held on for the first win of the five-game road trip and improved to 29-19 on the season.

What went right: The Nuggets shot a season-best 65.9 percent from the field. All eight players who got on the court shot better than 54% from the field. Julian Strawther had the best percentages, going 6 of 7 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

What went wrong: Russell Westbrook left the game early in the fourth quarter with left hamstring tightness and did not return. That puts his status for Saturday’s game in jeopardy. Peyton Watson also took a shot in the fourth quarter and looked banged up for his final few minutes of playing time.

Highlight of the night: Julian Strawther’s buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter proved to be pretty important. The second-year shooting guard caught the ball near midcourt in the final seconds of the opening quarter and drove down the sideline. With time running out, he had to hoist an awkward jumper from a couple of steps inside the arc but got it to drop.

Up next: The Nuggets are off to Charlotte for Saturday’s second night of a back-to-back set to conclude Denver’s five-game road trip.