Jamal Murray Speaks on Playing Through Injury in Nuggets vs Thunder

The Denver Nuggets were able to breathe a sigh of relief when All-Star point guard Jamal Murray was made available for Monday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Murray left their previous game early with an ankle sprain, but after two days off, he was ready to go in Oklahoma City, and despite a fear that the injury was severe, it did not cause him to miss any time.

After Monday's loss to the Thunder, Murray talked about playing through the injury.

"It's okay. I just want to be on the court. I want to be playing. Especially a game like this that's going to be high intensity and guys playing as hard as they did, I want to be out there as well. So, I'm glad I was able to push through," Murray said.

Murray pushes through his ankle sprain

The Nuggets have been plagued by injuries all season, so there was a reasonable fear that Murray would be sidelined for multiple weeks after he went down in pain with a sprained ankle. Murray bouncing back from his second-half absence against the New York Knicks to suit up against the Thunder is a display of his resiliency, and while it still resulted in a loss, it was exactly what the Nuggets needed.

Murray assured that the injury was not as bad as it seemed and it is "nothing serious."

"In the moment, maybe. I mean, it hurt. ... I wasn't able to return to the game, just with how short it was, but it didn't swell up. Nothing serious. ... It's just another ankle sprain that I just have been dealing with and we're good to go. ... I'm here now. We're good to go," Murray said.

Murray finished Monday's loss with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 9-23 shooting from the field and 0-4 from deep in 37 minutes. Murray was certainly not playing his best, but just having him on the floor is always a huge boost for this Denver team.

Almost at full strength

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

With Murray playing through his ankle sprain, the Nuggets are just one piece away from being at full strength for the first time since November. Peyton Watson is still sidelined with a hamstring strain, but once he returns, we will finally see what this Nuggets team is capable of with everyone on the floor.

Aaron Gordon returning from an extended absence against the Knicks was a huge boost for the Nuggets, and even though they are 0-2 since his return, everyone knows how much better they are when he is on the floor. Of course, they are still limited as guys play through injuries, but just getting them back into the lineup is a step in the right direction.

Watson should be able to return to the lineup sooner rather than later, and with just 17 games left in the regular season, they are hoping that they can get adjusted to their lineup at full strength in time for the playoffs.