It was good news for the Nuggets, bad news for the Hawks. Jamal Murray therefore made his return to the court, after missing seven matches due to a right knee injury. In Denver's victory, in just 21 minutes, he compiled 16 points and 6 assists.
“He’s a huge player. He and Nikola Jokic are the best duo in the league and it's hard to defend on them. When Jokic needs a player to score, he has Murray”, notice and admire Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The defending champions are not the same team when the point guard is present. Michael Malone did not want to rush the return of his player but the latter is happy to return to participate in the battle for first place in the Western Conference – currently owned by Denver.
First place in the viewfinder
“Of course it matters. It’s first place, so home field advantage for the playoffs.”book Jamal Murray who surely remembers that the Nuggets won 10 out of 11 games in the Ball Arena during the last playoffs.
These last days of the regular season will also be important for the player, who will find a little rhythm so as not to arrive too rusty in the playoffs. If he hadn't returned, then he would have missed a month before Game 1 of the first round. It's far, far too much even for his coach.
“Before, the season ended on Wednesday and we played again on Saturday,” Malone remembers. “Now we have a whole week in between. So it's essential that Jamal plays and finds rhythm. »
| Jamal Murray | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 82 | 22 | 40.4 | 33.4 | 88.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 9.9 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 81 | 32 | 45.1 | 37.8 | 90.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 16.7 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 43.7 | 36.7 | 84.8 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 18.2 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 59 | 32 | 45.6 | 34.6 | 88.1 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 18.5 |
| 2020-21 | DEN | 48 | 36 | 47.7 | 40.8 | 86.9 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 21.2 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 65 | 33 | 45.4 | 39.8 | 83.3 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 20.0 |
| 2023-24 | DEN | 54 | 32 | 47.5 | 41.9 | 85.5 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 20.9 |
| Total | 464 | 31 | 45.1 | 37.8 | 86.8 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 17.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
