As he has experienced following his lengthy rehab and various slumps, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has learned that he only needs to take one shot to correct his problems.
That shot can make up for his previously missed attempts. That shot can mark the beginning of a strong shooting streak. And that shot can give the needed confidence for himself and his teammates to secure a win.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising then to see how the Nuggets ensured a 108-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. Denver center Nikola Jokic may usually serve as the team’s driving force with his versatile scoring and prolific passing that secured two regular-season MVP awards. But the Denver Nuggets’ identity has never just centered on Jokic dominating the game offensively in every way. Denver’s success has also depended on Murray’s vision as both a floor general and scorer.
On the same night that Murray initially struggled with fulfilling that job description, Murray later mastered that role. He led the Denver Nuggets with 37 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals with most of his work emerging in crunch time. After missing 12 of his first 17 shots through three quarters, Murray scored 17 fourth-quarter points. He helped the Nuggets create a 96-84 cushion with 5:34 left after leading a 15-1 run that entailed producing two 3-pointers, one step-back jumper and two steals. In the final five minutes. Murray added another 3, a pull-up jumper and a 7-for-8 mark from the free-throw line.
The Nuggets have a commanding 2-0 lead over the Lakers entering Game 3 on Saturday for reasons beyond Jokic’s dominance or the Lakers’ fatigue. Murray has also left his imprint on the series. Despite nursing a recent earache, Murray also helped the Nuggets to a Game 1 win with 31 points while shooting 12-for-20 from the field and 4-for-8 from deep along with five rebounds and five assists.
NBA Bubble flashback for Jamal Murray
These games might bring flashbacks to his peak performances in the NBA bubble three years ago. Then, Jamal Murray averaged 26.5 points on efficient marks from the field (50.5 percent) and from 3-point range (45.2 percent) along with 6.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds. In Denver’s five-game series loss to the Lakers in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, Murray mostly maintained his postseason averages with similar numbers in points per game (25), shooting percentage (51.8 percent), assists (7.4) and rebounds (4.4).
Those performances should also elicit appreciation about his journey afterwards. Murray excelled through the 2020-21 condensed campaign with regular-season career highs in points (21.2), field-goal percentage (47.7 percent), outside shooting (40.8 percent), assists (4.8) and rebounds (4.0). That progress halted, however, once Murray tore the ACL in his left knee in the final month of the season. Not only did that injury sideline Murray for all of the 2021-22 season. He spent this past season knocking off his rust, building his rhythm and finding his timing, a process that medical experts consider typical for most basketball players recovering from ACL surgery. Murray’s scoring, shooting and rebounding numbers this past season ticked only slightly below his career highs: 20.0 points on 45.4 percent shooting overall and 39.8 percent from 3 and 4.0 boards. His passing numbers actually surpassed his career highs: 6.2 assists.
Since the playoffs started, though, Murray has rounded into form against Minnesota (27.2 points on 47.1 percent shooting, 6.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds) and against Phoenix (24.8 points on 45.2 percent shooting, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds). No surprise then that Murray has become even more dominant against the Lakers. The Lakers haven’t found the right backcourt combination to contain him. The Lakers have also focused more on mitigating Jokic’s presence.
That strategy may have helped reduce Jokic’s output in Game 2 (23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists) compared to Game 1 (34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists). Jokic still produced his fourth consecutive triple double and seventh overall, though. Murray made sure of it with his passing. He also helped Michael Porter Jr. (16 points), Bruce Brown (12) and Aaron Gordon (10) score in double figures. While those players also made their mark when Murray sat out in the first two minutes of the second quarter, Murray took command when he played the entire second half.
By that point, Murray mastered almost every shot he took. He made a 3 that gave the Denver Nuggets an 84-81 lead with 9:21 left after Gordon set a pick on Lakers guard Dennis Schroder. After Lakers forward Anthony Davis shut off his driving lane, Murray punished him with a step-back 3 for an 87-83 cushion with 7:09 remaining. Murray then fired two jumpers over James after he switched on him. Murray then sank a pull-up jumper over Reaves.
The Lakers could have their hands full with stopping Murray from duplicating that performance in Game 3 and beyond. As they experienced in Game 2, the Lakers’ initial success with disrupting Murray’s rhythm went awry once he fulfilled his quest to ensure one made shot would lead to another.
Mark Medina is an NBA Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.