The Denver Nuggets are on the cusp of returning to the conference finals since 2010, and Jamal Murray led their charge. Scoring 29 points against Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3, Jamal led the Nuggets past them en route to an upset victory and move them one win away from an appearance in the NBA Finals.
Murray has been an incredible contributor in the playoffs despite missing the final two regular season games due to an injury, averaging 24.6 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting just 37 percent from three-point range despite increasing usage rate and shooting more often. Although his efficiency may have suffered somewhat as usage rate is up and shooting frequency increased he still proved hugely valuable for his team in Round One against Miami Heat 119 117
Murray capitalized on a mismatch by targeting D’Angelo Russell early. The Nuggets would engineer switches that gave Murray off-dribble possession where he scored 15 quick points before the quarter was over.
The Nuggets held off a Lakers attack throughout most of the first half, as Murray and Nikola Jokic combined for 36 points to give Denver an unassailable lead at halftime. Murray continued his impressive play into the second half by hitting two three-pointers within one minute to stretch their lead out to 102-94 before adding jumpers in transition and another triple for an eventual score of 109-94 with roughly seven minutes left in play.
As part of his overall performance during that stretch, Murray also grabbed three big defensive rebounds and stole the ball twice to add to his scoring total. Later in the fourth quarter he showed his versatility by hitting 4-of-5 from long range and 7-of-8 free throw attempts, underscoring what coach Michael Malone told Murray should not worry too much about shooting struggles but instead focus on contributing in other ways – which was clearly demonstrated during this quarter.
After James hit an initial two-pointer, Murray quickly responded with an impressive transition dunk to put the game out of reach and close out the series with another three-pointer and easy layup to ensure victory for Denver. To complete their run of dominance in this game, Denver finished on an emphatic 13-0 run, completely sealing their victory and taking home three wins out of five possible matches against Utah. Murray, Jokic and Jeff Green all made multiple three-pointers during this stretch, leading Murray to post his eighth 30-point game of the postseason and tieing him with Will Barton for most ever recorded in franchise history. The Nuggets will look to extend their winning streak when they travel to Los Angeles Clippers for Game 4 on Monday.
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