The turning point.
MVP candidate Nikola Jokic can do whatever he wants on the court. For the Denver Nuggets, it is a lot better if he does not have to extend that energy. He did not have to Tuesday night.
Led by Jamal Murray’s 43 points and eight 3-pointers and a sizzling stint off the bench from veteran Russell Westbrook, the Nuggets raced to a 131-115 Game 5 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. The win secured a 3-2 advantage for the Nuggets, who can close out the first-round series Thursday.
Tuesday’s win marked a return to postseason form for Murray, who was instrumental in Denver’s run to the 2023 NBA championship. Hampered by a variety of injuries last year, Murray failed to live up to his prior-year form, and the Nuggets failed to advance out of the second round, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Tuesday, Murray looked much more like his 2023 self. He scored 19 points in the first half and the Nuggets fully controlled in route to an eight point, 67-59 lead. He picked up right where he left off by opening the third quarter with a patented step-back jumper to keep the momentum rolling.
His fifth triple of the night opened the Nuggets’ lead to 17, 80-63, early in the third quarter.
When the Clippers threatened to go on a run, Murray hit his sixth 3 to extend Denver’s lead back to double digits at 91-80. The Clippers never recovered.
“Some of the shots he made were just absolutely ridiculous,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I said it before the game, it’s coming with him. You know it is, these big moments, these situations. He was born for this. Special night for Jamal.”
Murray added seven assists and five rebounds and shot 17-of-26 from the field and 8-of-14 from downtown.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe game was Murray’s best of the playoffs and his first 40-plus point outing since he scored 55 in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on February 12. Murray struggled down the stretch of the regular season and was sidelined for six straight games with a mysterious hamstring injury before returning for Denver’s last two games, after the firing of Michael Malone.
Those absences coincided with a four-game skid that preceded the stunning dismissal of head coach Malone and GM Calvin Booth. Murray has now played in seven straight games, including four playoff contests in which he did not score more than 23 points.
“Rhythm is rhythm, whether it’s the playoffs or the regular season,” Adelman said of Murray. “You have to play. It’s not like we’re practicing a lot. Because you can’t really do anything. It’s in-game rhythm that he’s finding.
“It’s also the Clippers. They’re doing a good job. We figured a few things out that he totally capitalized on. Not to mention the incredible individual plays that he made tonight.”
Murray preferred to be nonchalant about his injury, saying postgame “that was like four weeks ago.”
He also downplayed his big night while crediting the win to a team effort.
“It was a big team win,” Murray said. “Guys were setting good screens. Guys were running the floor. Guys were being unselfish and passing the ball. Everybody was in a really good rhythm tonight. That was a big reason why we got the win.”
He did acknowledge that he was having fun Tuesday night and “playing free.”
“It’s everything,” Murray said. “It’s excitement. It’s nervousness. Everything comes into play, and that’s what makes it fun. That’s what makes this the most-watched time in basketball of the year and the most fun as a player to play.
“When I just have fun and I don’t think about it, we get games like this — not just from me, but from everybody.”
Westbrook was questionable until pregame warmups with a foot injury that kept him out in Game 4 on Saturday. He was given the green light to play by the medical staff just before tip, which turned out to be good news for the Nuggets.
Westbrook came off the bench with just under five minutes left in the first quarter and the Nuggets held a 25-17 lead. He returned to the bench with 3:49 left in the half to a rousing standing ovation from the Denver crowd. Westbrook scored 16 points in his 13-minute stint in the first half to help keep the Nuggets firmly in control with a 58-50 lead.
Westbrook hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter to extend Denver’s lead to 45-32. An and-1 layup and made free throw capped Westbrook’s 16-point scoring effort. He finished with a total of 21 points. It also brought out his trademark rock-the-baby celebration.
Unlike last postseason, Game 6 will be on the road for the Nuggets as they look to close out the series in Los Angeles.
