The Nuggets entered Sunday as losers of two straight games and three of their last four. Nikola Jokic was ruled out on Saturday for the fourth straight game and with a back-to-back looming on Monday, it’s unlikely Jokic will be back for that one either.
The Nuggets had fallen to 44-27 on the season, tied in the loss column for the third seed in the Western Conference, but just one game ahead of fifth and three games ahead of eighth. The team was in serious jeopardy of falling into the play-in tournament, making Sunday’s matchup with the red-hot Rockets more important than ever.
Houston came in winners of nine in a row with a 46-25 record, giving them a two-game lead for the two seed in the West. The Rockets have recently gotten players back from injury and are as healthy as they’ve been all year. Everything about this game had the makings of a big Rockets home win and another ugly Nuggets loss.
Jamal Murray scores 39 points in huge Nuggets win over Rockets
But whenever it has looked like the Nuggets' season was spiraling toward disaster, they’ve shown up with a great performance. That was the case again on Sunday as they went into Houston and pulled out a massive 116-111.
This win was all about Jamal Murray. The guard has had an up-and-down season, but he came through in a big way on Sunday with 39 points and 7 assists and was a team-high +19. The Rockets have great perimeter defenders in Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, and others who are big and physical, but Murray was the best player on the court from the jump.
He seemed completely unbothered by the physical defense of the Rockets and was able to get to his spots all night. Murray had the type of edge around him that’s often reserved for the playoffs and it seemed like he wanted to send a message. People have been down on this team and things have looked ugly without Jokic.
Being the second star and a veteran, Murray took things upon himself and carried the Nuggets, willing them across the finish line without their best player and facing some stiff competition in enemy territory. He put the team on his back and carried a massive load, being their lone source of reliable offense.
The team played much better than they have been recently across the board, and it helped to play a team that can struggle to score, but this was a huge win and a win the team needed badly. It’s also great to see Murray looking in playoff form after missing time recently with an ankle injury.
If he is locked and loaded like this, the Nuggets have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs. If not, they’re going to be in big trouble. Can he bring it like this every game for multiple months? That continues to be one of the biggest defining questions in Denver.