There were earlier indications the Nuggets showed up to play the banged-up Suns, but the strongest sign came early in the second quarter Wednesday.

Bruce Brown was first to the floor to fight for a loose ball. The ball squirmed out toward Jamal Murray, who also hit the hardwood to keep the possession alive. The ball ended up back in Brown’s hands, but he missed a corner 3. Vlatko Cancar fought for the offensive rebound and kicked it out to Bones Hyland. As the Ball Arena crowd rose to its feet in appreciation of the hustle, Hyland stepped into a 3 and buried it to put the Nuggets up 14.

“We showed it halftime. Loved it,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said postgame. “We always talk about winning the 50-50 battle. … When you have effort plays like that, those are winning plays. Those are game-changing plays. That was one of my favorite plays of the night.”

Hyland, a fan favorite, felt the crowd building up as the sequence went along but said that didn’t put any extra pressure on him to miss the shot. Instead, he said watching his teammates hit shots made him feel like he had to continue the trend.

“(When) my teammates are hitting shots, I feel like they get me excited, get me ready for the next shot,” Hyland said. “If it comes to me, I know I’m going to knock it down with the energy that I’m having. I feel like when my teammates is shooting the ball really good, I know if the next one comes to me and I’m open, it’s got to be bottoms.”

The first five 3-pointers Hyland took all came through the bottom of the net. The hot start propelled him to a team-high 21 points against the Suns.

There were signs the Nuggets showed up with the appropriate intensity early. Despite giving up 28 points in the first, the hosts forced five turnovers and committed just one of their own in the opening 12 minutes.

“I felt that we were here to play tonight,” Malone said. “We didn’t show up just thinking we can go through the motions and get a win because we’re playing an undermanned Phoenix team. I felt our guys showed up, understanding it is about us first and foremost.”

The best example of that effort and intensity came early in the second quarter.

Progress report at midway point

The Nuggets are halfway to home-court advantage.

After Wednesday’s win, the Nuggets are atop the Western Conference through 41 games with a 28-13 record. Memphis has the same record but sits second due to Denver’s 14-point win over the Grizzlies on Dec. 20. Despite the strong start, there’s no sense of accomplishment coming from the top.

“By no means do I think we’ve arrived. By no means do I think we’ve figured it out and now we can just chill for the next 41 games,” Malone said pregame. “Every night is going to be a challenge.”

Most encouraging to Malone is the improving defense. The Nuggets’ offense is among the league’s elite, but that’s hardly new.

“We are winning because we are defending. Don’t get it twisted,” Malone said.

“We always had a really good offense. The defense is the difference maker. If we can continue to do that, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win a lot more games.”

Who else is headed to Utah

Nikola Jokic is going to be in Salt Lake City for the All-Star Game in February.

Now, it’s just a matter of who might join him. Malone and his staff could coach a team if the Nuggets go into the break with the best record in the Western Conference. Having the best record in the West would also help Denver get a second player included in the game. Malone spoke in favor of his four other starters, mentioning Jamal Murray’s value, Michael Porter Jr.’s improvement on defense, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s fit and Aaron Gordon’s efficiency.

Murray entered Wednesday’s game as Denver’s second leading scorer at 18.5 points per game. Gordon’s not far behind, averaging 16.6 points and shooting 58.2% from the field.

“Look at his efficiency. He hasn’t fought anything the whole year long. He’s truly selfless. He goes out there and does all the dirty work — all the dirty work,” Malone said pregame. “It’s just been fun to watch him kind of have the season that he’s had. He should be in that conversation, because he’s definitely worthy of it.”

The second round of fan voting is expected to be released Thursday.

NUGGETS 126, SUNS 97

What happened: It’s a dozen straight in Denver, as the Nuggets beat a shorthanded Suns team for a 12th consecutive win at Ball Arena.

The Nuggets led by as many as 11 in the first quarter, but Phoenix closed within six by the start of the second. Some hot shooting from Bones Hyland, Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope put the Nuggets up 22 in the middle of the second. Denver led 70-54 at halftime. Michael Porter Jr. drove for a dunk and hit a couple of 3s in the first five minutes of the third, and Denver increased the lead to 28. The Nuggets took a 25-point lead to the fourth quarter and completed an undefeated homestand.

What went right: Denver’s shooters provided plenty of heat against the Suns. Hyland made his first five attempts. Caldwell-Pope started 4 for 4. The Nuggets shot 52.4% from 3 in the first half before cooling off in the second half, finishing 15 of 34 (44.1%) from 3-point range.

What went wrong: The lopsided score prevented what likely would’ve been another triple-double for Nikola Jokic. He posted 21 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in 28 minutes of play. He made 10 of 15 shots from the field but just one of his three free throws.

Murray also exited the game early in the fourth quarter with a left ankle sprain and did not return. Nuggets coach Michael Malone made it sound like a minor injury postgame and added he expected Murray to be available for the next game.

Highlight of the night: Effort got the fans on their feet early in the second quarter. Bruce Brown and Jamal Murray got on the floor to fight for a loose ball before Vlatko Cancar tipped out an offensive rebound. Bones Hyland finished the sequence with an open 3-pointer that put the Nuggets up 14, forcing a Phoenix timeout.

On deck: After a four-game homestand, the Nuggets head to Los Angeles to face the Clippers before a five-game homestand starts Sunday.