Jamal Murray’s struggles this offseason and regular season have been well documented, causing NBA fans to question if he should be traded (which cannot even happen until this offseason). However, Murray's performance on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks is a huge reminder to the league of just how deadly the Nuggets can be when Murray is locked in.
After signing a $200+ million contract this offseason, Murray got off to his typical slow start to begin the season, but just like season’s past, Murray had picked it up in December and is beginning to hit more clutch shots for Denver. Against the Mavericks, he decided that there was no need to wait for clutch time, and instead drained shots from the first minutes of the game.
Murray connected on back-to-back-to-back three-pointers in the span of less than 90 seconds to rack up 9 points early and finished the 1st quarter with an eye-popping 19 points. The Blue Arrow added another 13 points in the 2nd quarter, completing his Murray Flurry of a first half with 32 points!
This 32-point mark was a career-high for most points in a first half for the Nuggets PG and is also the third highest scoring output in the first half in the NBA this season. Only Orlando’s Paolo Banchero (37 points) and Los Angeles’ James Harden (34 points) had hotter first halves this season than Murray.
Is this version of Jamal Murray here to stay for Denver?
Murray did “cool off” a bit in the 2nd half, only recording 13 points in the 2nd half against Dallas, however with the game clearly in hand, he also did not play in the final 4+ minutes in the 4th quarter. Ultimately, the Canadian guard finished with an impressive 45 points and the Nuggets blasted the Mavs 118-99.
Murray’s 45 points obviously led the game from either team, but it truly was a one-man show tonight. No other players for either team scored more than 13 points (Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. and Dallas’ Daniel Gafford). Fellow star guard, Kyrie Irving was held in check all game, scoring a mere 11 points on 4/18 shooting.
There are not likely to be too many more games where the Nuggets co-star shoots 18/26 from the field like he did on Tuesday night, but this is a beautiful sign of progress and him rounding into form. Murray has found his shooting stroke in December and January and is beginning to look shiftier on the ball and more confident as a three-level scorer.
Murray will get his next time to shine in less than 24 hours, as the Nuggets welcome the Houston Rockets into Ball Arena on Wednesday night. The two teams enter the game tied for the best winning streak in the NBA (4 in a row each) and Denver will be attempting to remain undefeated on the 2nd night of back-to-backs this season.