NBA Monthly Roundup: Knicks and Stephen Curry have risen; Lakers are back

NBA April Takeaway: The Nuggets aren’t going away, despite injuries

Jamal Murray tearing his ACL on April 12th was likely the most impactful injury of the NBA season. It’s hard not to feel bad for him, and for the Nuggets it felt like a final nail in the coffin. Not to mention the fact that fellow ball-handlers Monte Morris and Will Barton have also been dealing with injuries themselves.

But as it turns out, if you have Nikola Jokic then you still have a contender. Denver is 8-1 since Murray’s injury, ranking as the 5th best offense and 4th best defense in the NBA over that time.

And while a lot of that credit goes to Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. may deserve just as much of it for his play in the last nine games. It feels wrong to say anyone benefits from an injury, but Porter has taken advantage of his elevated role to the tune of 25.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game on an uber-efficient 56.7 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from 3. He’s proving why the Nuggets made him untouchable in any off-season/deadline trade offers.

Murray’s absence will be felt the most at the end of tight playoff games, where last season he proved himself to be one of the best closers in the game. But without him, this offense is far from broken.

It looks more likely than not that they are going to draw the Lakers in round 1 of the playoffs which would be additional bad luck in a season that has been full of it, but pronouncing Denver dead while Murray was limping off the floor against Golden State was premature. This team is not an easy out as long as Jokic is in the lineup.