After missing three games in a row due to a concussion that he suffered against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jamal Murray was questionable on Friday for the Nuggets game against the Heat. Luckily, he did indeed return for Denver and was fantastic, helping the Mile High Crew secure a 135-122 victory over Miami. He also recorded his 1000th career three-pointer!
For years it was J.R. Smith who led Nuggets franchise history with 768 made threes, until he was eventually passed by Will Barton (804 made threes for Denver). A couple of years later, Jamal Murray surpassed Barton to take the franchise lead and on Friday night he became the first player to record 1,000 made threes in a Nuggets uniform.
Not only did Murray connect on 4/10 three-pointers against Miami, bringing his 3s up to 1,001 overall, but he also netted 28 points, dished out 6 assists, pulled down 4 rebounds, and was a game-high +28 in Denver’s win. While the Canadian PG has not gotten off to a hot start this season, this was by far his best game of the 2024-2025 campaign thus far.
Is this performance from Murray a sign of things to come?
Following an up and down playoffs, a lackluster offseason, and securing a new max deal from Nuggets GM Calvin Booth, Murray has huge expectations this season. This made his injury early in the season even more concerning for Denver fans. Additionally, Russell Westbrook balling out led to even more questions about what this team needs from Murray.
Luckily, the Murray concerns and debates can take a break for at least a bit, following his massive performance on Friday night. Perhaps the most promising thing that he showed was that he is not afraid to get up more three-pointers moving forward. With a lack of overall shooting on the roster this year, Murray getting up 7, 8, 9, or even double-digit threes is huge.
Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. have also found their stroke from long-distance this year, shooting 51.4% and 40.0% from beyond the arc respectively. Murray’s three-point record is certainly safe for quite a while but Jokic is ranked 4th in Nuggets history with 695 made threes and MPJ isn’t far behind, ranked 5th with 679 threes of his own.
After an 0-2 start to the season, the sky is no longer falling for the Nuggets, as they now sit at a 6-3 record. Murray will get a chance to add to his three-point total on Sunday when they face off with the defending Western Conference champions in the Dallas Mavericks.