BBNBA: Jamal Murray, Nuggets advance to franchise's first NBA Finals
Jamal Murray is headed to the NBA Finals.
He’ll look to become just the second former Kentucky Wildcat that played under head coach John Calipari to win an NBA title, joining a list that currently features just Anthony Davis. One-time ‘Cats Rajon Rondo (2020; Lakers) and Jodie Meeks (2019; Raptors) have also been a part of world championship squads since Calipari took over, but did not play under Calipari. Davis was a vital piece of the Los Angeles Lakers winning the Finals during the 2020 Bubble season.
After taking down, coincidentally, Davis and the Lakers on Monday night to polish off a series sweep, Murray and the Denver Nuggets have made it out of the Western Conference Finals and will play in the franchise’s first-ever NBA Finals. Denver had been the Western Conference’s top team all season long and has continued to play like it in the postseason. The top-seeded Nuggets have lost just three times through three series thus far, taking down the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-seed; 4-1), Phoenix Suns (4-seed; 4-2), and then the Lakers (7-seed; 4-0) in succession.
But we’re here to talk about Monday night’s game. The Lakers — unlike the Boston Celtics on the Eastern Conference Finals side — actually put up a decent fight throughout the series, losing all four games by an average of just 6.0 points. Game 4 was the closest, as the Nuggets came away with a tight 113-111 victory to complete the sweep.
Murray finished with 25 points in the Finals-sealing win, adding three rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block in 43 minutes of action. The sharpshooting guard went 10-18 from the field, although he did miss all four of his outside shots. More importantly, he was part of the final defensive possession that won Denver the game as he stripped LeBron James, who went up for the potential game-tying layup in the closing seconds.
The Lakers actually led by 15 at the halftime break, powered by 31 first-half points from the 38-year-old James (who is apparently considering retirement, which I don’t buy for a single second). But when you have Murray and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic — who posted his “typical” line of 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in the win — it can be tough to keep up the pace for a full 48 minutes.
Davis, who has been up and down these playoffs, contributed a modest line of 21 points (6-15 FG), 14 rebounds, and three blocks in 40 minutes. His defense was enormous all playoffs long, but his offense never quite matched the production that L.A. needed. His teammate, Jarred Vanderbilt, was relegated to the bench for all of Game 4 after seeing sporadic minutes throughout the series. Wenyen Gabriel also did not come off the bench for the Lakers.
It’ll be back to the drawing board for Los Angeles this offseason as they look to round out the roster for another championship run in 2024. Will that happen without LeBron leading the charge? We shall see.
Back to Murray though. Alongside Jokic, he’s executed his role as Robin to perfection. Murray’s numbers in the postseason have put his regular season figures (which were still more-than respectable) to shame. Through 15 games played in the playoffs, he’s averaged 27.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.7 steals in 39.1 minutes per outing. He shot 48.0 percent overall, 39.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 92.5 percent from the free throw line.
Absurd numbers from the 26-year-old. We’ll see him next in the NBA Finals.
5/22/23 statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | 113-111 W @ LAL | 25 | 10-18 (0-4) | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 43 |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 111-113 L vs. DEN | 21 | 6-15 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | -6 | 40 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 111-113 L vs. DEN | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 111-113 L vs. DEN | DNP-CD | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tonight in the NBA
Eastern Conference Finals
8:30 (TNT): No. 2 Celtics @ No. 8 Heat (Adebayo, Herro: out) | MIA leads 3-0
Like the Nuggets, the Miami Heat — led by Bam Adebayo — will look to complete their own series sweep later tonight. Adebayo is also pulling off the Robin role for Miami, suiting up next to the Batman that is Jimmy Butler. Unlike the Western Conference Finals though, the Eastern Conference Finals have produced little competition, especially in the most recent Game 3 that saw Boston lose by 26 points. Game 4 in Miami could replicate the same energy as the Celtics have been completely zapped of life.
As a side note, Miami guard Tyler Herro could feasibly return in time for the NBA Finals if the Heat do advance to the final round. Herro has been sidelined since mid-April with a broken hand and was given a 4-6 week recovery timeline. We’re about five weeks into that stretch right now with the Finals still over a week away. The more ‘Cats, the merrier.
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