PHOENIX -- It took about 16 minutes for the Denver Nuggets to adjust to life without starting center Nikola Jokic. Once they did, they dominated the Phoenix Suns for a fourth straight time this season.

Danilo Gallinari had a season-high 32 points and the Denver Nuggets scored 18 of their 36 third-quarter points from the free-throw line to beat the Phoenix Suns 123-112 on Saturday night.

Jokic missed the game with a hip injury but Kenneth Faried had 12 of his 21 points in the third quarter and added 13 rebounds for the Nuggets (21-25). Jamal Murray has 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

"We didn't start the way we wanted to. It was the first time with that lineup," Gallinari said. "But I thought we did a great job to bring the lead back and we finished the game the way we wanted to."

Jameer Nelson added 17 points and Gary Harris 15 for Denver, which finished 37 of 42 from the free-throw line. Denver trailed by as many as 16 in the first half but beat the Suns for the second time in three days and complete the first four-game sweep in a season series since 2003-04.

"It's not easy to beat a team four times and without Jokic it took a total team effort," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "Gallo gets 32, Faried gets a double-double, Jameer and Gary step up and Jamal Murray hit big shots down the stretch."

Denver has won three straight and seven of the last nine dating to a 140-112 win over the Indiana Pacers in London.

Eric Bledsoe had a career-high 41 points -- his second 40-point game in six days -- to lead the Suns, who led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter but lost their third straight game.

"Tonight we took a couple of steps back, but we've got to look forward," Bledsoe said. "It was a tough one. They wanted it more."

Devin Booker had his 12th straight game of 20 points or more with 23.

But forwards T.J. Warren and Marquese Chriss got into foul trouble and Brandon Knight missed seven of eight shots and the Suns were outscored by 32 points in his 16 minutes on the floor. The Suns allowed at least 120 points in all four losses to Denver.

"We can score all the points in the world but at the end of the day it starts on the defensive end, Booker said. "They were the aggressors tonight and when you are the aggressors you get to the line."

Suns forward P.J. Tucker said, "We've been playing so well, and to see the last three games the way they've gone ... it's been terrible."

Gallinari produced 13 of Denver's 21 points in the first quarter on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. But the rest of the Nuggets were 3 of 16 and they went six minutes without a basket.

Down 10-8, the Suns went on a 21-3 run and took a 16-point lead at 29-13 on a Knight 10-footer with 3:11 left.

"We got off to a tough start. We haven't played Kenneth and (Jusuf) Nurkic together a whole lot." Malone said. "But I give them credit because I that third quarter, that same lineup played very well."

But the Nuggets regrouped. Down 39-29 with eight minutes left the half, Denver went on a 15-5 run and tied the score at 44-44 on Gallinari's three-point play with five minutes left. He finished the half with 22 points, the only Nuggets player in double figures.

Bledsoe and Booker combined for 35 points and Phoenix led 61-59 at intermission.

But Denver scored 36 points in the third quarter and pushed their lead to as many as 19 points. The Suns got as close as seven in the fourth quarter at 106-99 on a Bledsoe layup with 5:56 left. Faried and Nelson combined for 13 of Denver's 18 made free throws.

"I tried to step up for my teammates tonight so we can get this win," Faried said.

NOTES: Nuggets C Nikola Jokic missed the game with a hip injury suffered in a fall against the Suns in Denver on Thursday. Jusuf Nurkic replaced Jokic in the starting lineup. "We still want to play the same way, but we don't have another Nikola Jokic on our bench," Denver coach Michael Malone said. "We need other guys to step up and do what they do." ... Denver will miss Jokic's rebounding. The first three meetings this season, all wins, the Nuggets averaged 48 rebounds and outrebounded the Suns by 11.7 boards per game. Against the rest of the NBA, Phoenix has outrebounded their opponents by 2.6 per game. ... Suns G Devin Booker's string of 12 straight games with 20 points or more matches the longest streak by a Phoenix player since Amare Stoudemire did so in 18 straight from March 11 to April 14, 2008. ... Tyson Chandler came into the game with 11 straight made field goals. Charles Pittman had 19 straight from Dec. 20-30, 1983.