Tim Hardaway Jr. matched his season high, and Spencer Jones posted a career-high to lead Denver to victory in the desert.

Here are three takeaways from the Nuggets’ 130-112 win over the Suns on Saturday at Phoenix’s Mortgage Matchup Center:

1. Give it up for Denver’s bench on the second night of a back-to-back. Hardaway stole the show, making 7 of 11 attempts from 3-point range to finish with 23 points, matching his highest-scoring game as a member of the Nuggets. Bruce Brown didn’t score as efficiently, making 2 of 6 shots from the field, but dished out 10 assists with just one turnover.

Jonas Valanciunas added nine points, three rebounds and three assists. The Nuggets’ bench outscored Phoenix’s reserves 38-28. A strong start to the fourth quarter from Denver’s second unit helped keep the starters’ minutes in check.

Jamal Murray, who played 36 minutes and 32 seconds, and Cam Johnson, who was on the court for 35 minutes, were the only players to play more than 32 minutes.

2. Spencer Jones made his best case to occupy Denver’s last full-time roster spot in Phoenix. Jones went 4 of 6 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 16 points on 10 shots.

He is getting more comfortable playing alongside Nikola Jokic and taking the shots the Nuggets need him to take as long as he’s going to be on the court. The nine rebounds Jones grabbed also set a new career-high for the 24-year-old.  He’s established a reputation as a defensive stopper, something he reinforced with an impressive block on Grayson Allen in the opening minutes.

If the offense continues to come along, Jones goes from a specialist to a serviceable two-way player.

3. The Nuggets need to do a better job of helping their defense while they’re without Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon. A night after committing 17 turnovers that led to 30 points for the Spurs, Denver gave up the ball on its first two possessions and had five turnovers before the first three minutes were over.

The Nuggets had 11 turnovers, which led to 14 Suns points, in the first half and finished the game with 17 giveaways for 23 Suns points. Some of the turnovers were offensive fouls, while some of the others were more inexcusable.

NUGGETS 130, SUNS 112

What happened: Denver took a five-point advantage to the second quarter, led 63-60 at halftime, and extended the gap to 11 to start the fourth quarter. A strong bench stint helped Denver improve to 14-5 and avoid consecutive losses for the first time this season.

What went right: The Nuggets went 10 for 16 from 3-point range in the first half and ended the night 22 for 38 (57.9%). Denver outscored the Suns, which went 14 for 42 (33.3%), by 24 points from deep.

What went wrong: Nikola Jokic missed a triple-double by one rebound for the second consecutive night. Jokic finished with 26 points and 10 assists, while making all seven of his shots from the field and all but one of his 11 free throws.

Highlight of the night: Jamal Murray added to his collection of impressive finishes in the middle of the first quarter. Nikola Jokic found Murray on a cut down the middle of the court, and Murray left the ground with the ball in his right hand before switching hands in midair for a tough, left-handed finish.

Up next: The Nuggets are back home for Monday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks.