It was a difficult night for the Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets, all the way up until the very end.
The Nuggets dropped a hard-fought game in the clutch, a 109-107 loss to the Detroit Pistons, the best team in the Eastern Conference. Denver had chances to win it at the end, but too many mistakes, not enough stops, and some key free throw misses from Murray sealed the deal.
With less than 10 seconds left and the Nuggets down three points, Murray isolated against Javonte Green for an opportunity to tie the game. Murray got a good shot off and Green took out his legs on the contest, sending Murray to the line with 3.5 seconds left. Unfortunately, Murray missed the first and made the next two, meaning the Nuggets had to foul twice in quick succession.
Tobias Harris made two free throws on the other end to push the lead back to three with 2.0 seconds left, and the Nuggets were able to run a final play. Then, Javonte Green fouled Murray again to give him an opportunity to tie the game at the line. Murray made the first but missed the second, meaning he had to miss to third on purpose. The Nuggets were unable to collect an offensive rebound and the game ended immediately.
“I just gotta be better. I had an opportunity there, twice. I want to redeem myself,” Murray shared after the game. “This wasn’t my night. I didn’t play well today.”
Murray’s correct. It wasn’t his best game. As the only healthy starter in the Nuggets rotation, he carried a lot of responsibility with 24 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds but shot just 7-of-18 from the field and 10-of-15 from the free throw line. This was also the second time in his last four games and third time all season when Murray didn’t make a three-pointer, shooting just 0-of-6 from behind the arc.
Facing Ausar Thompson, Cade Cunningham, and the Pistons defense will do that. They’re one of the very best defenses in the league and hounded Murray all night. There’s no escaping the belief that Murray is wearing down a bit though, carrying the Nuggets on his back for as often as he has this season.
“They play physical, but that doesn’t stop us from getting open shots or getting down the lane,” Murray declared, shying away from excuses of exhaustion. ““We just didn’t make enough shots today. Sometimes that’s the name of the game.”
Murray wasn’t the only player to struggle. Peyton Watson also had a very rough outing with just 13 points on 6-of-20 from the field. He also had 3 assists compared to 3 turnovers and appeared thrown by the physicality, athleticism, and technical defense by the Pistons. On the other end of the floor, Cunningham got where he wanted to go with Watson defending him consistently. Watson’s lack of size was an issue in the matchup as Cunningham continually bumped him off his spots.
“Thirty-seven minutes guarding Cade Cunningham, having the ball, late shot clock, making a play — against one of the best defenses in the league,” Adelman shared in defense of the fourth-year wing. “It’ll be easier when everyone gets back for him to be the kind of impact defender he’s been when he doesn’t have as much on his shoulders.”
The theme of these games lately, especially when the Nuggets lose, has been a stacked deck against their health. It was another game in which four starters didn’t play. Nikola Jokic missed his 15th straight game and will reportedly be re-evaluated in a week. Cam Johnson missed his 18th game in a row. Christian Braun has played just 14 games this year and has missed 32 of the last 35 games. Aaron Gordon came back briefly but missed 19 games in a row during his first hamstring injury and might miss more games until the All-Star break.
Getting back Jonas Valanciunas was nice. He had a strong outing last night with 16 points and 16 rebounds in 31 minutes, a surprisingly high number coming off a calf strain.
But the Nuggets have needed him, just as they are slowly starting to decay from all of the missed time from four players expected to average 30+ minutes per night a piece. That Denver has done so well in their stead is admirable, but the longer these absences go, the less likely it is for Denver’s current cast to survive at a high enough level. Getting Valanciunas back was helpful. Getting four starters back will make life so much easier for everyone involved.
Can Denver hold on for just a little bit longer? Probably, but let’s find out anyway.
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