Jamal Murray celebrates after nailing a basket in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Photo by David Zalubowski via AP Photo
Down in the series 2-0, Michael Malone and the Denver Nuggets took to the court in Minneapolis on Friday night, and displayed their dominance that the basketball world is used to. The Nuggets took Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, to tie up the series at two. And Game 3’s win was thanks to a 117-90 blowout led by Jamal Murray.
The Nuggets looked completely outmatched in the first two games of the series, where they were blown out by scores of 106-99 and 106-80, respectively, at home. Game 2 in particular was when Denver made their frustrations known, getting demolished on home court with the league’s best defender, Rudy Gobert, out.
Late in that game, Murray threw a heat pack towel onto the court in frustration, leading to a subsequent $100,000 fine from the NBA for his actions. He shot just 3 of 18 in that game, and it appeared to be the low point of the Nuggets’ 2024 playoff campaign.
Embracing the Villain Role
But in Game 3, Murray silenced the boo birds that booed him when he stepped onto the court, scoring 18 of his 24 points in the first half, which set the tone for the Nuggets and allowed them to pull forward early. Murray said after the game that the boos embraced him.
“That definitely fueled me during the game. And just keeps me in that mode. So it’s fun,” Murray said. “I embrace that challenge, I embrace that moment. I probably deserved the boos, so I’m not shying away from it.”
With the Nuggets building a 45-25 lead in the second quarter, it allowed them to clear more space for their shooters against the Timberwolves’ defense, and that early lead was thanks to Murray’s clutch performance early. Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated that Murray embraces the role of being the villain, and thrives under it.
“He does kind of relish those moments where he’s a bad guy,” said Malone. “To me, that beginning of the game, you’re in hostile territory, and that’s kind of where you separate the man from the boys…He feeds off that. He’s a guy that plays with a ton of emotion. And I think actually that’s when he plays at his best, when he’s playing with that emotion. We’ve seen that time and time again. So hell of a performance by Jamal.”
Inconsistent Performance
In eight games so far this postseason, Murray is averaging 20.9 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. His numbers so far have been inconsistent, though, with him going off in the Nuggets’ first series against the Los Angeles Lakers, but only scoring 17 and 8 points in the first two games of this series, respectively.
But if Game 3 taught the Timberwolves anything, it is to not sleep on Jamal Murray. His embracing of the villain role could be the spark the Nuggets need to even the series up on Sunday night.
