Jamal Murray missed a fadeaway on Denver’s first possession and then attempted a floater that spun around the rim and bounced out, hinting at the struggles to come.
These misses didn’t impact the usually reliable Nuggets point guard as much as what happened next on defense in Minnesota during Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.
While trying to maneuver around a screen set by Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert early in the first quarter on Thursday night, Murray injured his right elbow in a collision with Gobert’s raised right elbow. He immediately clutched his elbow in pain.
He attempted to flex his arm back and forth to loosen the joint as he moved up the court, but it didn’t help. Now, both Murray and the defending champion Nuggets are suffering. They will host Game 7 on Sunday.
“I was never really getting into my rhythm again, and my team obviously needed me to tonight, and I didn’t,” said Murray, who also went 3 for 18 in the Game 2 loss. “So I’m disappointed in myself for not being able to give them the right production that I know I can.”
Murray ended up shooting just 4 for 18 from the floor, scoring 10 points in the 115-70 loss, playing 32 minutes before getting extended rest as Minnesota built a lead as large as 50 points.
He mentioned applying some numbing cream to his elbow to help him fully extend it on his jump shots without pain, but he never found his rhythm.
Murray, who had a strained left calf during the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, has dealt with right elbow pain before and wears a protective sleeve over it.
With two off days before the decisive game instead of the usual one, Murray will have more time to heal. Will that be enough? “I hope, for our team’s sake,” he said. “I hope I can get it right.”
This postseason has been quite eventful for Murray, who hit two last-second game-winners to eliminate the Lakers in five games in the first round. Then he threw a heat pack onto the court from the bench in Denver during a Game 2 blowout by the Wolves, which resulted in a $100,000 fine from the league.
He bounced back strong with 24 points to lead the Nuggets to victory in Game 3 and then made a halftime buzzer-beater from beyond half-court to highlight the Game 4 win in Minnesota.
Now, all eyes will be on him again in Game 7 as he tries to overcome another disruption. “It’s all behind us now,” Murray said. “I’ve just got to get ready and be able to be better for Sunday.”
