Jamal Murray Explains His Controversial Statement After Nuggets-Knicks

Jamal Murray addressed his Los Angeles statement after the Nuggets' blowout loss.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. | Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

Monday night was a game to forget for the Denver Nuggets, as the New York Knicks came to town and handed them a 145-118 loss. With Nuggets head coach Michael Malone's statement going viral about not "flushing" away this poor performance, a Nuggets player's remarks also caught the eye of the media.

Heading into their matchup against the Knicks, the Nuggets were coming off a road win against the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-102, in which they were far and away the better team. Given Los Angeles is a popular offseason spot for NBA players, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray made a controversial statement about the team's focus after that win.

"It's a long season. Guys have lives outside of basketball," Murray said. "We just beat LA in LA. We've got some guys who live in LA, so stayed in LA. I don't think the focus was there from everybody, and that's what happens when you don't have the focus."

Jamal Murray: "It's a long season. Guys have lives outside of basketball. We just beat LA in LA. We've got some guys who live in LA, so stayed in LA. I don't think the focus was there from everybody, and that's what happens when you don't have the focus." pic.twitter.com/FG0QFtq4We

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) November 26, 2024

Fans were quick to call out Murray for what they felt was a lack of accountability on his part, but the Nuggets point guard clarified his comments in a post on X.

"We all stayed in LA BTW! and had a great win. Not excluding myself guys we didn’t play together tonight," Murray wrote.

We all stayed in LA BTW! and had a great win. Not excluding myself guys we didn’t play together tonight✌🏽

— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) November 26, 2024

While Murray was catching heat across social media and national networks, he came out that night to specify he was referring to the whole team and not a select group of players.

In last night's game against the Knicks, Murray finished the contest with 20 points and seven assists while finishing with a -13 plus-minus. The team will look to bounce back when they travel to play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

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