Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets shows signs of frustration after not being able to force a turnover against the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter of the Spurs’ 101-96 win on Saturday, April 13, 2019. The Denver Nuggets hosted the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the teams’ first round NBA playoffs series at the Pepsi Center.
It was early Sunday morning before Jamal Murray walked through the Nuggets locker room, his exit delayed after reliving the jumper that might’ve given Denver Game 1.
While his teammates showered and addressed the media after their grueling Game 1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Murray was up on the second floor of the Pepsi Center, painstakingly reenacting his 8-of-24 shooting night. His dad, Roger Murray, was there with him, presumably rebounding and offering comfort.
Murray’s clean elbow jumper would’ve given the Nuggets a 98-97 lead with 13 seconds left. Instead it hit back iron.
“A shot that he’s made 1,000 times, and he’ll make it again,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
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The in-game version came following a timeout and was born out of Denver’s bread-and-butter pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic. It’s a shot the Nuggets would take every time. Especially in this series, with a plodding LaMarcus Aldridge forced to retreat after Murray rolls right around the screen, it was the right look.
Murray took 8 shots in the final quarter, including 7 over the final 3:06 of the game. Aside from a baseline jumper, his only other points came off sheer determination. Spurs forward Rudy Gay had corralled a missed Murray floater and had earned clear possession of the ball, both hands gripping it in his gut. That was before Murray surprised Gay, ripped the ball clean, laid in a reverse layup and got fouled. It was one of six steals he had on the night. The three-point swing cut the deficit to 95-92.
Denver trimmed the lead to 97-96 on the aforementioned jumper from the baseline but could never regain the lead.
That didn’t stop Murray from trying. He caught the same 3-point shooting bug that plagued the rest of the team and missed all six of his shots from beyond the arc.
The 22-year-old is uncommonly poised in tense situations and confident regardless of any prior struggles. He’s also famously stubborn, a result of the rigorous shooting drills his dad put him through as a child. While growing up, Roger also preached mental toughness to Jamal, a principle he learned from studying famed martial artist Bruce Lee. All of that is baked into the composition of Murray, who posted career-highs across the board in his second full season running the Nuggets offense.
That tough love has harbored confidence between coach and player. It wasn’t surprising to see the play called for Murray, especially since Jokic had passed on plenty of good looks throughout the game.
That’s why, even as his shooting drills took him well into the night, it wasn’t hard to imagine a scenario where Murray responds with a big game on Tuesday.