Denver Nuggets: In Game 2, Jamal Murray proved he’s the key to a deep playoff run
In Game 2 against the Spurs, Jamal Murray once again proved that he’s the key to the Denver Nuggets making a deep run in the NBA Playoffs
Midway through the third quarter of Game 2, the Denver Nuggets were staring down an 0-2 first-round NBA playoff hole against the seasoned, and much more experienced, San Antonio Spurs.
The team was following up their horrendous Game 1 shooting performance with one in Game 2 that wasn’t all that better. The Spurs were up double-digits and the boo birds were flying at the Pepsi Center. But that’s when Jamal Murray snapped out of his funk and came to the rescue for the Nuggets.
After starting the game 0-8 from the field, Murray went on to score 21 points in the fourth quarter on 9-10 shooting from the field. Murray nearly outscored the entire Spurs (23 points) roster in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets cruised to a nine-point victory in Game 2 to tie the series at one game apiece.
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Murray’s heroic performance in Game 2 is further proof that the key to a deep playoff run for the Nuggets could very well fall on his shoulders.
During the regular season, the Nuggets were 20-9 when Murray scored at least 20 points in a game. He also posted career high numbers this season, averaging 18 points per contest on 37 percent shooting from 3-point range.
He’s the type of dynamic player that could go off on any given night, and that’s exactly the type of player that equates to a difference-maker in the post-season. Without Murray’s fourth-quarter outburst, the Nuggets are likely headed to San Antonio in an 0-2 hole and on the verge of a first-round elimination.
Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Nikola Jokic all turned in 20-point nights in Game 2 as well, but it was the closing performance of Murray that changed the entire complexity for the Nuggets against the Spurs.
Murray not only punctuated the Nuggets’ comeback with big bucket after big bucket in the waning seconds of the game, but he also buried the Spurs while sealing the victory for Denver. While it was a moment to remember in Denver, the Nuggets are going to need an equally impressive moving forward if they’re going to win back home-court advantage and move past the Spurs.
As the series shifts to San Antonio, it should be noted that the Spurs were one of the best home teams in the NBA this season, posting a 32-9 record at the AT&T Center. To make matters even more complicated, the Nuggets were an average team away from home (20-21).
This could spell bad news for Denver, even though they managed to avoid disaster and tie the series before hitting the road. However, performances like the one we saw from Jamal Murray in the fourth quarter of Game 2 is exactly the type of variables that could tilt the series in one team’s favor.
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And if the Denver Nuggets have that type of star power on its side in Jamal Murray, there’s no question this team will have a real chance at making a deep run in the playoffs.