Jamal Murray turned in another spectacular performance for the Nuggets on Saturday, leading Denver to a dominant 119-108 victory and 3-0 series lead over the Lakers.
Murray had a game-high 37 points on 15-of-29 shooting, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. He also added seven rebounds, six assists and two steals on the night, all while committing only one turnover and two player fouls. He has averaged 35 points on 52.1 percent shooting per game against the Lakers on top of 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
After the game, ESPN's Rachel Nichols asked Nuggets coach Michael Malone about Murray's performance. The ninth-year coach relayed a story how, shortly after Murray tore his ACL against the Warriors in April 2021 — an injury that kept him out for the entire 2021-22 NBA season — Murray asked whether the Nuggets would trade him because he was "damaged goods."
Malone had a two-word response for the 2016 first-round selection: "You're ours."
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"I remember being in the bus with him going to the airport after he did the injury in Golden State the next day, and he had tears in his eyes," Malone said. "And that was the message: 'Hey man, you're going to come back from this, and not only are you going to come back, you're going to be better.'
"In that moment, it's really hard to believe that. His first thought was, 'Man are you guys going to trade me? And that was his ... 'I'm damaged goods now, are you gonna trade me now?' And I hugged him and said, 'Hell no. You're ours. We love you and we're going to help you get back.'"
Malone's commitment to Murray is not only admirable, but also has worked out tremendously for both him and the Nuggets. Since coming back from the injury, Murray has averaged 20 points, four rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. In these playoffs, he has averaged 27.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
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Now, Murray and Nikola Jokic have not only given Denver a commanding 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, but also have the Nuggets on the verge of their first NBA Finals berth.
Said Murray after Saturday's victory:
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals will take place in Los Angeles at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday.