Jamal Murray Unleashes Astounding First Half for Nuggets vs. Lakers

Two-time MVP Nikola Jokić is the clear headliner for the Nuggets, but Jamal Murray has arguably been the best player on the floor for Denver so far in the Western Conference finals. The 26-year-old guard has taken things to another level so far on Saturday night.

Murray leads all scorers with 30 points in the first half, leading the Nuggets to a 58–55 halftime lead over the Lakers. He’s 13-for-20 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range, adding four rebounds in 21 minutes.

The performance has allowed Denver to hold on to a sizable lead despite a relatively muted outing for Jokić so far. The do-it-all center has been held to just five points on 2-for-8 shooting, with four assists and three rebounds.

Murray averaged over 25 points in the Nuggets’ first two series—wins over the Timberwolves in five games and the Suns in six. He opened the Lakers series with 31 points in Game 1, and after a slow start in Game 2, finished with 37 points, with 23 coming in the fourth quarter alone.

This is not the first time that Murray has turned it on during the postseason. Most notably, he averaged 26.5 points during Denver’s run to the 2020 Western Conference finals, where they were eventually taken down by the Lakers, who would go on to win the NBA championship at the COVID-19 bubble in Orlando. 

Injuries have hampered him over the last few years as he looked to build off of that breakout performance. After tearing his ACL late during the 2020–21 season, he missed the entire 21–22 campaign. With six 30-point outings already this postseason, he’s improved from that 2020 form, and his team could be one game away from the first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history as a result.

Many NBA fans are struggling to believe what they’re seeing from the seventh-year guard out of Kentucky.