Jamal Murray's Nuggets Are Playing Energized Without Nikola Jokic

The Denver Nuggets picked up their third straight win on Saturday night, beating the Washington Wizards 121-115 to improve to 7-3 in ten games since Nikola Jokic went down with a knee injury.

Once again, without Jokic, Jamal Murray stepped up big time for the Nuggets. Murray finished Saturday's win with 42 points and six assists on 15-24 shooting from the field and 5-8 from three-point range. Murray has been incredible without Jokic, cementing his case as a first-time All-Star this season, but the entire team has risen to the occasion.

After Saturday's win, Murray talked about how the Nuggets have to make it fun while playing shorthanded, especially without Jokic.

"We have to, we have to. We don’t have any room for error. We can’t just feed Big Fella and say, ‘Alright!’ It’s ten years of it for me, he’s just so consistent. I’m talking about Jok [Nikola Jokic], he’s so consistent just being that scoring, playmaking system every single night. So, without him, it’s a big loss, a huge loss," Murray said.

"Then you add on the fact that Val [Jonas Valanciunas] is out, that’s a lot. And then Cam [Johnson] and CB [Christian Braun] and all of those other guys, it just gets worse and worse. We have no choice. We have to come out with the right energy or else we’ll get thumped."

Nuggets have to bring energy

When a team is missing several key players, especially a three-time MVP and the best player in the world, they cannot let it impact their mindset. Many teams would just roll over and wait for their superstar to come back, but the Nuggets are doing everything they can to keep winning. Much of their success stems from their mindset.

"We have to, if a team goes on a run, we have to call a timeout because we don’t want to get thumped. I think it’s just a fight-or-flight mentality with this whole team," Murray continued. "The consistency has been really fun to see just because it’s so easy to, like you said, just let it slide or just lay back for a second. But we have been, as a whole unit, just bringing the energy and bringing the game to the team that we’re facing. So, I think that’s been huge."

THIRD 40-PT GAME OF THE SEASON FOR JAMAL MURRAY TONIGHT.

⚒️ 42 PTS
⚒️ 6 AST
⚒️ 2 STL
⚒️ 2 BLK
⚒️ 5 3PM@nuggets win their fourth straight! pic.twitter.com/JvStEyXxbw
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2026

For many guys, this is the best opportunity they will get all season. A player like Peyton Watson, who was held back as a secondary option on the bench, has made the most of the opportunity to cement himself as a rising star in this league. When the team is composed of guys looking to make the most of the new opportunity, there is a recipe for success.

Of course, plenty of it comes from coaching, and David Adelman deserves his flowers as a Coach of the Year candidate. Sure, the players want to do what they can to keep winning without Jokic, Johnson, Braun, and Valanciunas, but Adelman has done an incredible job of keeping the team composed and focused.

If the Nuggets keep bringing this same energy, they can survive the rest of the month and let Jokic take his time returning. The last thing the Nuggets want is to rush Jokic back on the floor, and when the team continues to win without him, there is much less pressure on his return.

Nuggets have to bring energy

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