David Adelman Says Jamal Murray ‘Carried’ Nuggets in 45-Point Takeover

The Denver Nuggets were able to see a masterclass performance come from their All-Star guard Jamal Murray in the midst of their narrow 128-125 win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.

In all, Murray chipped in for an explosive 45 points on 13-19 shooting from the field, made a staggering eight three-pointers on 13 attempts, and paired that with two rebounds, seven assists, and two steals to not only make for one of his most impressive outings of the season, but also might've been the difference between Denver falling victim to a trap game against the 18-win Jazz.

That pivotal performance from Murray garnered some major praise from head coach David Adelman following Denver's win against the Jazz, going as far as to say that Murray was the one who "carried" the Nuggets to the end result of a victory.

"He just carried us. He really did," Adelman said postgame. "He was the guy that had legs tonight. Tough shot making. We tried to get him into certain combinations where he had matchups that he liked, and Nikola was being guarded by three people, so it was Jamal's night."

"And I love these nights, just because he has this in him. You know he can do it. He can take over a game. You can put him in a situation. He'll make a tough shot. And that's what he did. Free throw line, three-point line, field goal percentage, all of it was just so efficient, and that's what we needed tonight to find a way to win the game."

Jamal Murray Stepped Up Big vs. Jazz

Even with a three-time MVP on the floor alongside him in Nikola Jokic, Murray made it clear that it was his night to dominate in Utah.

Jokic chipped in for a solid stat line of 22-12-5 as part of Adelman's new starting lineup with double bigs in him and Jonas Valanciunas, but it would end up being Murray as the one who would capitalize on his opportunity in a big way.

That 45-point outing made for Murray's fourth time this season where he had a game scoring 40 points or more. In those four games, the Nuggets are now 4-0 on the season.

Mar 2, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) plans his next shot over Utah Jazz guard Elijah Harkless (16) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

In nights where the Nuggets were as depleted as they were against the Jazz–– being without four of their typical rotation players in Cameron Johnson, Spencer Jones, Aaron Gordon, and Peyton Watson–– seeing Murray step up to the occasion for a big performance was going to be critical in order to get back on track from their recent ups and downs with a win.

Heading into the game, the Nuggets had just a 1-4 record coming out of the All-Star break, had trouble finding consistency on both ends of the floor, and without several of their key contributors in the lineup due to injury, it makes the task of overcoming that adversity just a bit tougher to pull off.

And while those collective flaws certainly aren't ironed out for the long haul of the season, against the Jazz, it would be Murray who pulled it together to prevent a last-minute Jazz comeback, made possible from a dominant night on the other side by Keyonte George, who had 36 points and four steals himself.

Jamal Murray: 45 PTS (13-19 FGM), W
Keyonte George: 36 PTS (14-22 FGM)

SPECIAL point guard battle tonight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FyHzPZPOOq
— NBA (@NBA) March 3, 2026

For as long as the Nuggets remain hobbled and without their full rotation (which hopefully won't be much longer), expect Murray to have a few more nights similar to this one in Utah for Denver to have the means to stay afloat in the Western Conference that's remained a dogfight within the top-five seeds getting deeper and deeper into the regular season.