Jamal Murray leads the pack as the Nuggets run out a fast break
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DENVER, CO - MARCH 12: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets leads the fast break during the first quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena on March 12, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
The Denver Nuggets have been leaning heavily upon Jamal Murray while without 3-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Despite a stretch of rocky games, Murray appears to have found a message within a key victory this past weekend.
Following the Nuggets win on March 23 over the 2-seed Houston Rockets, Murray said he and the rest of the team wanted to use the win to send themselves a message about playing without the Nuggets’ superstar ahead of the postseason.
“We’re just trying to send a message to ourselves,” Murray said after the game.
Joel Rush
Jamal Murray postgame after the #Nuggets‘ road win over the #Rockets w/o Nikola Jokic:
“It can’t be pretty every time… We have guys out, we gotta come play hard… It was a great team win, everybody did their job, everyone’s in a great mindset.”
#MileHighBasketball
“It was a great team win, everybody did their job, everybody was in a good mindset coming in,” Murray explained after lighting the Rockets up for 39 points and 7 assists.
Murray’s tone in the post-game interview illustrates how hard he’s trying to make up for the Serbian sized hole at the center position. The Nuggets have nine games remaining to iron out any kinks before a Western Conference postseason that is sure to be a slug-fest.
Prior to Monday’s game, Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reassured fans that Nikola Jokic will be returning at some point during their upcoming 5-game home stand.
Murray’s focus remains on the playoffs, stating: “with the playoffs coming up, we gotta create some good habits and with the Portland game out of our minds now, its on to the next.”
Murray Gets the Message
The shooting guard is enjoying one of his best seasons as a pro, scoring 21.6 points and dishing 6.0 assists per game. In addition, his shooting has been incredibly efficient as well, averaging 47.6% from the field and 39.9% from 3 point range.
His 58.7% true-shooting percentage would be the 2nd highest of his career if the season ended today. More importantly, he appears to be healthy, playing in 65 of 72 possible games so far this season.
Jamal Murray is no stranger to flipping the switch, and he’s been turning up the intensity for the last two months. Since February 1st, Murray is averaging 24.0 points and 5.9 assists while knocking down 45.6% of his 3-point shots and 50.8% overall.
After he was asked if he and other leaders were sending a message to rival teams and pundits who’ve been judging the Joker-less Nuggets recently, Murray responded bluntly,
Preparing for the Postseason
The Nuggets are 9-8 since the team returned from the All-Star Break, however, some of the team’s most impactful and important wins have come during this seemingly tumultuous stretch.
Injury Update ahead of tonight’s game against the Bulls:
AVAILABLE:
Jamal Murray (Right Ankle Sprain)
Christian Braun (Left Foot Strain)
OUT:
Aaron Gordon (Right Calf Injury Management/Left Ankle Sprain)
Nikola Jokić (Left Ankle Impingement)
Julian Strawther (Left Knee… pic.twitter.com/5g3bHoJswl
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 25, 2025
Malone tinkering with different lineups by resting his stars ahead of the postseason might be part of a grander scheme, if we look closely.
Signature victories against the league best Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers – all potential matchups in the playoffs – are almost enough to nullify Denver’s shaky March.
Sunday’s contest against the Rockets, was just another hard-fought notch in what can be seen as an emerging late-season pattern.
Michael Malone knows how to manage his stars. Putting Murray in these situations appears to be what flips that switch for the 28-year old guard. Should Murray stay dominant, the Nuggets should enjoy the type of momentum that teams dream of acquiring prior to the start of the playoffs.