Nuggets Stars React to Jamal Murray's Injury After Knicks Game

Coming off consecutive wins, the Denver Nuggets went into Friday's matchup against the New York Knicks with some confidence. Not only were they on a small winning streak, but they finally got Aaron Gordon back after a 17-game absence. The vibes were high for Denver, but things quickly went downhill.

En route to a 39-point blowout loss to the Knicks, Nuggets star Jamal Murray left with an ankle injury after stepping awkwardly on Nikola Jokic's foot. Friday's game was the healthiest the Nuggets have been in months, but of course, it did not last long.

Jamal Murray leaves the game with an apparent ankle injury 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/b0NOBc4Y96
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) March 7, 2026

Nikola Jokic reacts to Murray's injury

After the game, Jokic talked about how Murray's injury did not help their case on Friday and how this has been an unfortunate trend for them this season.

"They were just better than us and they had better energy. Of course, Jamal getting hurt didn’t help us," Jokic said. "... Peyton [Watson] was not back and he's definitely a big factor. Then Jamal gets hurt I guess. I don't know. It's been the whole season. Hopefully we can find a way to get healthy and start playing much better."

Murray finished Friday's game with 12 points in 18 minutes, while Jokic did what he could, dropping 38 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 31 minutes. If Murray had not gotten hurt, the Nuggets may have had a chance to hang around in Friday's loss, but it was such a poor all-around effort that it is hard to say.

Gordon returns, Murray exits

Every time the Nuggets seem to take a big step toward being fully healthy, another player gets hurt. Gordon, Cam Johnson, and Spencer Jones all returned to the lineup on Friday, yet Murray did not even make it until halftime.

After the game, Gordon voiced how frustrating it is that the Nuggets cannot seem to stay healthy.

"Yeah, that's super frustrating. You get me back, and then Mal goes down with the ankle sprain," Gordon said. "But like we've been saying all year, it's next man up. We can do it."

Aaron Gordon officially cleared to play vs. Knicks tonight. Cam Johnson and Spencer Jones are also in.

It’s the first time since Nov. 12 that Denver’s opening day starting lineup will play together.
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) March 7, 2026

It is hard to have the "next man up" mentality when a player as important as Murray goes down, especially at this point of the season. The Nuggets only have 18 games left until the playoffs, and while having Gordon back in the lineup is a blessing, losing Murray is costly.

Christian Braun admits "it sucks"

While the severity of Murray's injury is still unclear, just the idea of the All-Star point guard going down is crushing for this team.

"It sucks," Christian Braun said after the game. "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."

It's one thing for Murray to get hurt, but for him to go down in their first game with a full-strength starting lineup since November makes it feel unreal.

"Just for the team, you feel like you got all the guys back and pregame I thought our vibe was really good. 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," Braun finished.

The Nuggets will need to find ways to win without Murray for the time being, and more importantly, hope that the ankle injury is not severe.