Murray’s 42 points help Nuggets avoid ouster
Jamal Murray scored 33 of his 42 points in a second half where he played every minute and the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination by beating the Utah Jazz 117-107 on Tuesday night in Game 5 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The Nuggets trail the sixth-seeded Jazz 3-2 with Game 6 on Thursday.
Murray was unstoppable down the stretch in nearly matching his 50-point effort in Game 4. He hit 17 of 26 shots and had eight assists, including a pass to Nikola Jokic for a three-pointer with 23.6 seconds remaining that sealed the win.
“Whenever he’s like that we are winning the game or we are really close,” said Jokic, who also didn’t sub out in the second half. “That’s what we need from him.”
The dynamic tandem of Murray and Jokic clearly weren’t ready to leave the NBA bubble just yet. Jokic had it going early as he scored 21 of his 31 points in the first quarter.
Murray took over late after his team fell behind by as many as 15 points in the third quarter.
“We’ve all got a will to win. Simple as that,” explained Murray, who played through a bruise on his knee. “That can carry you. That can take you places.”
With the score tied at 101, Murray scored nine straight for Denver to put the Nuggets up by nine with 1:20 to go.
Donovan Mitchell finished with 30 points while wearing a pair of bright, multicolored shoes. The sharpshooter is averaging 37.6 points over the five games.
Antetokounmpo is top defensive player
Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed his first piece of hardware this season, winning the NBA’s defensive player of the year award in a runaway vote. It’s likely not his last major honor — Antetokounmpo is widely expected to be named the league’s most valuable player for a second consecutive season.
To earn the top defensive honor, Antetokounmpo beat out Lakers star Anthony Davis and two-time winner Rudy Gobert of Utah. Antetokounmpo received 75 of the possible 100 first-place votes from selected media and broadcasters.
Clippers guard Patrick Beverley received one of the other first-place votes and finished sixth. Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard received five third-place votes and finished ninth.
The Bucks finished with the most efficient defense in the league this season, holding teams to 102.5 points per 100 possessions.