Jamal Murray Praises Nikola Jokic’s Control in Nuggets’ Win vs. Wolves

Jamal Murray liked what he saw from the big fella in the Denver Nuggets win vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Feb 10, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts after a call as center Nikola Jokic (15) looks on in the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The Denver Nuggets had a successful night all-around in their second win of the season up against an Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves squad, rising to a 2-1 record by stamping a 127-114 victory in the books.

And for the duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, it remained a standout night for each.

Murray finished his performance with an eye-catching 43 points on 55.7% shooting from the field, paired with six rebounds and three assists. On Jokic's behalf, he had his third triple-double in three games with a stat line of 25-19-10, and of course, did it all in a winning effort.

After the game, Murray praised his MVP big man with being an incredibly easy player to play with, but also gave him his due credit for being a key factor in controlling the Nuggets' pace in their win over Minnesota.

"Just a team player. His game is so easy–– picking his spots, not forcing it, getting everybody involved. Picking up the tempo, which is huge," Murray said post-game of Nikola Jokic. "So, the pace, the decision-making, I think all of that plays a huge part in how we control the game."

"Today, we did a good job, even when we were down, still controlling our own pace. I think we missed some wide-open layups, which you don't tell anybody to run the break because of a layup. So, I think those go down, we look even better tonight, and I'm just proud of the way we played as a group."

"I don't even think we played to our potential. There's a lot of room for improvement. I just think we picked up our intensity; we didn't turn the ball over late. But there are lots of things we can work on for next time."

Jamal Murray Credits Nuggets' Pace in Win vs. Timberwolves

Oct 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Nuggets looked like themselves offensively, shooting 52.3% from the field with a 50% clip from three-point range, had four guys scoring in double figures, won the turnover battle, and for Murray, he became the biggest beneficiary of it all, with an impressive 40-plus-point night in the books on good efficiency himself.

Even for the night that Murray had, though, he still feels there's room for even more growth for what this roster could put together this season, which might be a bit dangerous for the rest of the league.

But for now, he's proud of what he and his guys put together for what's now a 2-1 start.

"I wasn't forcing it. Everybody played great, I just made shots. Everybody was in the right spot, setting good screens, and everybody was into the second half, especially. So, that makes my job easy."

If the Nuggets' star duo of Murray and Jokic continue to play at a similar level like this moving forward into the year, this roster will be a hard one to keep contained for any opposing team.

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