The Denver Nuggets secured their 25th win of the season due to the play of Jamal Murray.
The Denver Nuggets were in some hot water in the first half in Sacramento. They were outscored 36-23 in the second quarter, but bounced back in the third quarter outscoring the Kings 31-18.
Why the sudden change in the second half you ask? Well, it was a couple of things.
Number one, Denver came out and made adjustments to keep up with the young and spry Sacramento Kings.
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However, the main reason was the one and only Jamal Murray. Murray had a less than stellar first half as he was relatively cold finishing with only four points.
However, the second half was his time to shine as he ended up with an impressive stat line of 36 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He also finished the game shooting 50% (12/24) from the field and also possessed a three point shooting percentage of an impressive 50% (6/12).
He even had a clutch basket which resulted in an and one three point shot at the end of the game which sealed the game which goes to show how mature Murray showcased his potential and why he deserves All Star Game votes over some certain peers *cough* Lonzo Ball *cough.*
Jamal also finished with a player differential of +10 which was the second highest total in this particular category on this night. The other two were Mason Plumlee and Nikola Jokic who both finished with a box plus/minus of +12.
Now, yes, Jamal was not an easy pick for player of the game as Jokic logged another terrific night finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
However, without the explosion from the Kentucky sensation in the second half, the Denver Nuggets would have been caught in a trap game and lost their 12th game of the season.
Let’s hope we more of this Jamal Murray going forward into the second half of the season.