The Los Angeles Lakers shocked everyone by stealing game 4 at home against the Denver Nuggets. Their 119-108 win snapped an 11-game losing streak, giving the Purple and Gold some serious momentum ahead of Game 5. As if this wasn’t enough bad news, concerning news surrounding Nuggets guard, Jamal Murray has also surfaced very recently.
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Murray has been a key component of Denver’s squad, even winning game 3 through a mind-blowing buzzer-beater. But the Denver side has shockingly downgraded Murray to “questionable” [injury—left calf strain] in their official pre-game injury report.
The Denver Nugget’s questionable status comes after the 27-year-old injured his calf during the third quarter of the game. While the cause of his injury remains unclear, Coach Malone immediately benched Jamal, attempting to prevent any more damage to his star guard. The silver lining here is that the guard did return to the game for the final few seconds of the game, indicating that his injury may not be that bad after all.
With something akin to a 50/50 chance of Murray playing, the Nuggets will have to keep their other backup point guards ready. Reggie Jackson should emerge as the frontrunner to start if the star is unable to take the floor for Monday’s contest at Ball Arena. As for the Lakers, while they likely feel for their opponents, it’s not hard to imagine the opportunities this situation presents.
Jamal Murray continues to struggle as a shooter
Murray has been a pivotal piece in the Nuggets franchise for some time now, even co-leading the team to their 2023 NBA Championship alongside Nikola Jokic. This past regular season, he averaged 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds during the regular season, while shooting 48.1% from the field and a career-high 42.5% from beyond the arc, per Statmuse. Unfortunately for the team, these are numbers that he has not been able to reproduce against the LA Lakers.
The 2023 champion has shot an abysmal, 38% from the field and 20.8% from a 3-point range [per Basketball Reference]. While his overall production has remained consistent at 21.5 points, 7.3 assists, and five rebounds through the first four games of the series, the player still needs to choose his spots more carefully. However, he can focus on that after he is deemed fit enough to play again.
