Nuggets' David Adelman Blown Away By Jamal Murray vs Mavericks

In the midst of the Denver Nuggets taking care of business against the Dallas Mavericks, 142-135, it was another explosive scoring night from the hands of Jamal Murray, as he wound up coming away with a season-high 53 points to pair with the victory.

Just two points shy of his career high, Murray showcased a versatile offensive arsenal against Dallas, draining nine three-pointers on 14 attempts from deep, shooting nearly 68% on 28 attempts from the field altogether, and went a perfect 6-6 from the line to make things even sweeter.

Even for head coach David Adelman, Murray's outing against the Mavericks was an insane one to watch unfold, and he made sure to give his flowers postgame because of it.

"Yeah, I mean Jamal [Murray]’s shot-making was insane, so many tough shots off the bounce," Adelman said postgame. "We talked about his progression over the years of doing that, both hands. And then the ability to finish in the paint - 10 made two-pointers, nine made threes, six made free throws. It’s just so efficient in every way - 53 on 28 shots is such a great number."

For what's been a compelling All-NBA case for the Nuggets' first-time All-Star this season, this game against Dallas might've just cemented that status on one of those teams for Murray at the end of the year––something that Murray himself has been striving for as a personal goal.

But outside of Murray, his MVP co-star, Nikola Jokic, certainly ran up the stat sheet himself; logging a wild 23 points, 21 rebounds, and 19 assists in 38 minutes, and an impact that Adelman certainly didn't forget to highlight after the game either.

"Obviously, Jok [Nikola Jokić] just creating offense behind a lot of the attention Jamal got I thought," Adelman continued. "He had assists early, mainly in transition, we had 27 fastbreak points. I thought a lot of the assists late were off double-teams. Jamal made the right play, so there’s a lot of hockey assists from him. Jok, as he always is, he’s just so special finding the right guy."

"We’ve had some really special nights in Denver, individually. Thinking back to when they do it together, the triple-double in the Finals for both guys. Tonight was just really special, man. I mean 53 from your point guard and 23, 21, and 19 from your center. Just an outrageous number from the best tandem in the NBA. "

Mar 22, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and guard Jamal Murray (27) react before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's not often you get two players on the same team having these types of performances on the same night, but the unique combination of otherworldly talent and chemistry that Jokic and Murray bring to the table makes it possible.

With under 10 games left in the regular season, the clock is winding down before the Nuggets will be tasked with putting together some more inspiring playoff performances like they did for their Finals run three years ago, and hope to climb to those same heights later this June.

As shown in games like this one, Denver's star tandem still has the juice to do just that. Now, it'll just have to translate further into the postseason.

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