Nuggets Remain Optimistic About Jamal Murray Injury

Could Jamal Murray's latest ankle injury not be as bad as it initially looked?

It looks like there's at least a glimmer of hope.

According to The Denver Post's Bennett Durando, multiple sources close to the Denver Nuggets remained "cautiously optimistic" that Murray had suffered a mild sprain against the New York Knicks rather than something more severe.

"Multiple Nuggets sources were cautiously optimistic after the game Friday that Murray had suffered a more mild sprain, but the team was still waiting to get more thorough test results over the weekend, one source said," wrote Durando.

Murray went down with a right ankle sprain in the Nuggets' latest blowout loss to the Knicks that took him out in the second quarter of action, where he eventually would not return for the rest of the way.

There's still no official word from the Nuggets on just how severe Murray's injury is, or any re-evaluation window, but the signs seem to be pointing in a more positive direction than what might've been initially expected.

Jamal Murray Avoided Severe Injury?

On one hand, it's a tough blow for the Nuggets to suffer any injury to their starting five in their first game back healthy since November. However, it's also refreshing to know that in the event Murray is slated to miss time, it might not be as long as some of Denver's other recent injuries around the roster.

Murray is in the midst of a career-best season with the Nuggets en route to his first-ever All-Star selection, averaging a career-high 25.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field.

Murray's also been routinely available for the Nuggets throughout the season compared to the rest of their injury-riddled roster, missing only five regular-season games up to their game against the Knicks. He might now be on track to add a few more missed games to that total, but perhaps for an absence that sits on the shorter side.

Mar 6, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nuggets wing Christian Braun was among the names around the roster who spoke about the injury blow to Murray against New York, noting that while it certainly sucks to see another one of their guys go down, it's no excuse for the results of their 39-point blowout loss.

"It sucks," Braun said. "I think this group with injuries, I think we've had pretty good resilience across the board, but seeing Jamal go down, just for how well he's played and the kind of leader he's been this year for us and a guy that's played really, really well, so it sucks to see him go down."

"We were excited to see AG [Aaron Gordon] get back. We started to play together again, and it seemed like we played 12 minutes or whatever it was together, so it sucks for Jamal, it's tough to watch, but no excuses. You've got to find a way to get wins."

The exact timeline for Murray's return remains up in the air, but regardless, it's nothing that the Nuggets haven't already endured this season that's turned out as one of the least fortunate turnouts in the NBA in terms of injury luck.