“ Jamal Murray scored a shot “, cowardly Anthony Davis, his face serious, before throwing away his microphone and leaving the press conference. Palpable frustration within the Lakers on the front line of this last action which killed the Lakers at the buzzer.
His defense and his long arms did not prevent the opposing playmaker from signing one of the biggest shots of his career: an impeccable baseline “stepback” at the end of which AD even finished his race in the chairs from the Nuggets bench, in the middle of the local collective frenzy.
Terrible contrast. The frustration of Anthony Davis and the Lakers is matched by the joy and relief for Jamal Murray to have converted this shot. Who could have imagined him signing such an exit from the stage given his production during the first three quarters? When the fourth period started, the Denver leader was down to just 6 points on 3/16 shots and a -14 score when he was on the floor…
“ I want to give all the credit to my teammates and my coaches. I told them I was having trouble. They all told me to keep shooting, stay aggressive and keep looking (to mark)”, reports Jamal Murrayby adding : ” You miss 10 or and 11 in a row, some of them really bad shots, and you think, 'Should I change something?' »
Transformed in the last quarter
His teammates did well to insist, and he did well not to change anything. In this final period, the Canadian found himself: 14 points at 6/8 on shots and a +12 on the score.
And the confidence to take this last shot while Mike Malone voluntarily did not take a time-out and Nikola Jokic waited for a decision to be made on his part. “ When I got the ball with two seconds left, I knew after I made a few, the next one was going to go in too. »
After his slight 3-point shot fake, he was able to outrun Anthony Davis with his dribble. Then convert a shot that he says he didn't even see coming in. “ I lost my balance and fell. I think AD was in my way or someone else and I heard everyone screaming and that's how I knew it was home », Reports the Canadian, ensuring that he brought a bunch of similar shots into his native country.
A winning shot which did not at all surprise his coach, Mike Malone: “ It was Jamal Murray. He can be in the tough, in the tough, in the tough. He sees one enter, he is never afraid of the moment, of the spotlight. And it was incredible action. »
| 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 | 59 | 32 | 48.1 | 42.5 | 85.3 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 21.2 |
| Total | 469 | 31 | 45.2 | 38.0 | 86.7 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 17.5 | |
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.
