Nikola Jokic and Michael Malone were both dishing out praise for Jamal Murray after his latest big shot for the Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets pulled off a massive rally on Monday night in their Game 2 action against the Los Angeles Lakers, as they managed to grind out a 101-99 victory despite facing a 20-point deficit early in the third quarter. Jamal Murray‘s buzzer-beater game-winner gave Denver the victory, and both Nikola Jokic and Michael Malone were quick to give out some high praise for the star guard after the game.
Murray struggled with his shot for much of the night, but he caught fire in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of his 20 points in the final frame to lead Denver on their ferocious comeback. Jokic acknowledged after the game that Murray only needed one shot drop in order to get going, while also shouting out the rest of his team and Denver’s fanbase for helping them pick up this victory.
“The team effort was amazing and the crowd was amazing and they believed in us when we were down” – Nikola Jokic on tonight’s buzzer beater win#MileHighBasketball #MileHighPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/D7B5eKpL3R
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) April 23, 2024
Michael Malone joins Nikola Jokic with quick take on Jamal Murray’s heroics
Jokic was largely the driving force leading Denver in this game (27 PTS, 20 REB, 10 AST, 9/16 FGM), but he handed over the controls to Murray in the fourth quarter, and the result was a massive comeback win. If it weren’t for Jokic’s playmaking, or Murray’s shotmaking ability, there’s no shot that Denver manages to come out on top in this game.
Of course, the likely 2024 MVP wasn’t the only guy who was fired up by Murray’s latest heroics, as their head coach in Malone was thrilled to see his game plan come together late in this one. Malone credited Murray for stepping up when the lights were the brightest, even though he had largely been having an awful game prior to his late outburst.
“That’s Jamal Murray right there…He’s never shying away from the moment, the spotlight.”
– Michael Malone 🗣️
(via @MileHighRachel) pic.twitter.com/DVr0sCXvWV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 23, 2024
Throughout the Nuggets recent run of playoff success, Murray has developed a reputation for stepping up in the biggest moments, and there may not have been a bigger moment than this shot for him. Faced with the possibility of heading to Los Angeles with the series tied at 1-1, he made sure that Denver’s comeback would be completed, and they now have a 2-0 series lead as they prepare to leave the comforts of Denver.
Of course, the Nuggets and their fans would have much rather had this game get won in less suspenseful fashion, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. The Lakers certainly aren’t going to go down without a fight, but it’s clear that they were quite demoralized after throwing away such a big lead and losing on a late buzzer-beater from Murray.
If there’s one team that can weather that storm, though, it’s Denver, and that’s precisely what they are going to have to do as they head out to Los Angeles. The Lakers are going to respond with their best punch in Game 3 on Thursday night, but if Murray can keep up his momentum from this game and lead the Nuggets to another win, Denver will be in a great position to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
