The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves are engaged in a competitive and intriguing Western Conference semifinal series, and the victor will be decided in Game 7 on Sunday.
Oftentimes, Game 7s are decided by stars and superstars elevating their games and carrying their teams to victory, but for the Nuggets, one of their stars hasn’t been doing that this spring.
Starting point guard Jamal Murray hasn’t been playing up to his standards, and his shooting has been inconsistent in this series, as a tweet from Legion Hoops points out.
Jamal Murray has not been himself against the Timberwolves so far:
17 points, 6/14 FG
8 points, 3/18 FG
24 points, 11/21 FG
19 points, 8/17 FG
16 points, 7/14 FG
10 points, 4/18 FG(via @ClutchPoints) pic.twitter.com/rT6ZVsRoFL
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 17, 2024
In past postseasons, Murray’s numbers had been much higher than his regular-season numbers — last year, when the Nuggets won the NBA championship, he averaged 26.1 points a game in the playoffs compared to 20.0 points per game in the regular season.
But his scoring average is actually down a bit in this year’s postseason compared to the regular season, and he’s shooting just 39.2 percent overall and 31.1 percent from 3-point range in 11 playoff games.
Murray may now be a barometer for Denver, as he shot well in their three wins in this series, but shot poorly when they have lost.
On Thursday in Game 6, he was an embarrassing 4-of-18 from the field and mustered just 10 points as Denver got trounced by the score of 115-70.
The home crowd in Colorado for Game 7 should certainly help Murray play better, but he needs to take the initiative to get good shots and force the issue in transition rather than settling and playing at the Timberwolves’ preferred slow tempo.
NEXT: Jamal Murray Has Concerning Injury Comment Ahead Of Game 7
