Jamal Murray was absolutely incredible on Wednesday night, putting up 52 points in a big road win over the Pacers. His shooting was lights out, as he made 19-25 shots, including 10-11 from three-point range. He became just the second player in NBA history to score 50+ points and make 10+ threes on 90%+ three-point shooting. The first? Murray’s teammate, Aaron Gordon, earlier this season.
You may remember opening night, when the Nuggets battled the Warriors on October 23rd, ultimately losing in overtime, but not before AG went off for 50 points, also hitting 10-11 three pointers.
At the time, a stat line like that had never been seen before in the history of the league, and now, just over a month later, Murray has done it again. It’s pretty incredible for one team to have these two performances. For them to happen in the same season makes it more incredible. And to have it done by two separate players in the same season makes it even more incredible.
To top it all off, neither one is even the Nuggets’ best player! Nikola Jokic had a 50-burger of his own this season, but did not hit 10 threes in the process. Instead, it has been Denver’s two complementary stars, two players who have never even made an All-Star game.
Nuggets getting elite production from complementary stars
It’s a huge deal for the Nuggets to get this kind of production from their non-Jokic players. At this point, we all know what Jokic brings to the table. Who can carry the team pretty far by himself, but without his supporitnt cast living up their potential, the team can only make it so far.
This season, there has clearly been a focus on getting some of the other guys going, and it starts with Murray and Gordon. Luckily, both stars have gotten off to a great start, with Murray getting off to the best start of his career.
But unfortunately, after Gordon’s hot start, he suffered a calf injury, which has tanked the Denver defense. Hopefully, when he’s reevaluated in about a month, he’ll be ready to return, but these constant soft-tissue injuries are incredibly concerning.
There’s reason to believe that AG’s issues may linger, and this may just be something he deals with for the rest of his career. Hopefully, that’s not hte case, but it’s a valid fear, and something that could make or break the Nuggets’ season and future.