As the Nuggets prepare for the biggest game of their season, they got some extremely troubling injury news on Thursday afternoon. Jamal Murray was added to the injury report in the afternoon and is now listed as questionable with an illness.
Hopefully, Murray is still able to go, but now we know he is dealing with some kind of sickness, and even if he takes the floor, it's hard to imagine he'll be 100%. This is just terrible news for the Nuggets at the worst possible time as they face an elimination game against the league's best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Denver's roster is already extremely thin, and we've seen how ugly things can get when a rotation player or two are missing, and Murray is another level completley. He hasn't been great in this series or these playoffs, but he's the clear second option on offense along with Nikola Jokic.
If Murray can't play, Nuggets will live and die with Westbrook
If Murray can't play or is seriously compromised, the Nuggets and David Adelman have nowhere to turn but to Russell Westbrook. Russ has been rough in the past few games, especially shooting the ball, but Denver simply has no other option.
The offense will revolve entirely around Jokic and Russ, with some Aaron Gordon sprinkled in, and hopefully lights out shooting from Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. But Russ and MPJ have already been bordering on unplayable recently, and Braun and Gordon are doing more on defense than offense.
To keep up with the Thunder, the Nuggets really need Jokic and Murray to be at their absolute best, and removing one from the equation would make this already difficult task almost impossible.
Murray has been superb in elimination games
Beyond the obvious blow to the team's depth, Murray has been a playoff riser, and even moreso in elimination games. In 11 career playoff games when facing elimination, Murray has gone 8-3 with 49/41/90 shooting splits, going for 40+ points in three of those games.
We all know Murray's offensive prowess and his knack for the clutch. Even though the Nuggets are clearly overmatched in this series, with the championship pedigree of Jokic and Murray running the show, you feel like they at least have a chance. Without Murray, it's hard to talk yourself into it.
Again, he's still listed as questionable, so hopefully, he's getting treatment and will feel well enough closer to tip-off to give it a go. But if not, it's going to take a near miracle for the Nuggets to stave off elimination in Game 6.