The Minnesota Timberwolves snatched the series opener against the defending champions with ease. Coming out of a 4-1 win against the Lakers, the Denver Nuggets were heavy favorites to win the home game against a young and inexperienced Minnesota side. However, Anthony Edwards and Co. had a surprise in store for the Nuggets as they registered a comfortable 106-99 road win at Ball Arena. On top of being one down in the series, the Nuggets have another problem to deal with before Game 2. And it concerns Jamal Murray‘s injury status.
According to the Nuggets’ official injury report for Game 2, Murray is ‘Questionable’ for tonight’s contest because of his left calf strain. It is a well-known fact that Murray played the closeout game against the Lakers going against medical advice. Fans will hope that his calf strain doesn’t sideline him as Denver looks to level the series at home before going over to Minnesota.
Fortunately, the Nuggets have an otherwise healthy squad. The only other player featured on the injury report is Vlatko Cancar, who is ‘Out’ because he underwent a surgery on his left knee. Even with Murray’s presence on the injury report, fans can keep their hopes up, because the 27-year-old was listed on it before Game 1 as well. However, he went on to play for 34 minutes in the contest.
In a losing cause, Murray dropped 17 points, four assists, and a rebound, while shooting 6 of 14 from the field and two for four from the three-point line. Apart from Murray, Nikola Jokic also had a good game with 32 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. But the Wolves completely took over the game in the second half. The key architect of the win was Ant-Man, who dropped 43 points, seven rebounds, three assists and shot 17-29 from the field and 3-of-7 from the three-point line.
The Denver Nuggets are feeling the pressure of Jamal Murray’s injury
The Conference Semifinals are a tough nut to crack for most teams. After playing through a rigorous regular season, most players are beaten down. However, the ones who can pull themselves up for one last sprint, they end up lifting the trophy. For Nuggets, injuries have not been a major concern so far. But Jamal Murray’s health has been a cause of concern in the playoffs.
According to Vic Lombardi, when coach Michael Malone was asked for an update on Murray, he refused to give a straight answer. He did inform the reporters that Murray has missed a week of practice and isn’t in his physical best at the moment. Malone said, “With Jamal, it’s just the situation we find ourselves in.”
We get the sense from this comment that the Nuggets are feeling dejected because of Murray’s slow recovery. Regardless of how they feel, they’ll have to come up with a solution to stop the Wolves from going two up in the series.
