Jamal Murray has been on another level for the Nuggets this season. He's averaging a career-high in points and assists, he set the franchise record for most threes made in a season, and he's been giving off the vibe that his legendary "bubble Murray" mode from the 2020 playoffs is back. And it looks like that mode is here to stay. And Nuggets fans are here for it.
As great a season Nikola Jokic is having, Murray has done every bit to match. Murray has games of 52 and 53 points, and his 25.6 points per game are a full four points better than his previous career-high.
He ranks fourth in made threes with 234, and he just added 10 more against the Jazz in Utah, a 130-117 wire-to-wire victory that started with a 9-0 Murray "flurry" as Chris Marlowe likes to call them. He capped off the first quarter with a half-courter for his fifth of the opening frame. He finished with 37 points. It was reminiscent of another era of Murray against the Jazz.
Bubble mode Murray began against the Jazz as well
In the 2020 playoffs, the NBA played in front of no fans, and all players and personnel were isolated in a "bubble" in Orlando, away from just about everybody. It was an attempt to stop players from acquiring and spreading the coronavirus while still being able to finish out the 2019-20 season.
Murray went to another level in the first game of the playoffs against those same Jazz, and he erupted for 36 points on six threes. There would be much bigger things to come in the same series.
Murray had 50 points in game four, 42 points in game five, and 50 points in game six. He had nine made threes in both of the fifty burgers. And to cap it off, he had 40 points in game seven against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round.
Nuggets fans have not forgotten about those performances. And neither have some players.
Murray's been in bubble mode all year
Draymond Green didn't get a chance to play in the bubble, but he remembers just how "aggressive" Murray was, and he says, "Jamal Murray right now, he's as aggressive as I've ever seen." And the numbers have back it up.
Murray now has two games of 10 made threes this year, and he has 13 games of more than 20 points and 10 assists. He had 14 such games coming into the season. Plus, he's currently shooting a career-high 43.4% from three and 48.4% overall. Murray could also be in line for his first All-NBA team.
Murray's been great in the clutch, and combined with Jokic, they form a duo that nobody wants to see in the playoffs. Especially with bubble Murray around all the time.