MURRAY THROWS IN 42; NUGGETS FORCE GAME 6
Star guard saves Nuggets’ season by spearheading wild 2nd-half comeback
Jamal Murray smiled like he relished the moment, with no fear of the consequences.
With the Nuggets facing playoff elimination and trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, Murray ripped Game 5 away from Utah’s grip and ensured Denver could fight another day. The Nuggets’ 117-107 whiteknuckle win guaranteed, at least, a Game 6 on Thursday, with Utah holding a 3-2 lead.
As his late 3-pointer rattled home, giving the Nuggets a 106101 lead with 2:47 remaining, a smile crept across Murray’s face. If five games has proven anything, it’s that Murray thrives off postseason tension. And even facing the potential end of their 50-day Orlando odyssey, Murray couldn’t help but enjoy the late five-point cushion. His monumental 42-point masterpiece, to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists, saved the Nuggets’ season.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone told his team in the elated postgame locker room. “We’re here for the long haul.”
While this first-round series has launched Utah guard Donovan Mitchell’s star, it’s done the same for Denver’s unrelenting point guard. Murray has all-but matched Mitchell’s brilliance in both his performance and his desire.
“Down the stretch, Jamal embraces the moment,” Malone said. “He’s not afraid of it. Some people run away from those moments. He looks for them.”
More like craves them.
“It’s internal,” Murray said of the fire he packed to Orlando. “Just wanting to win. When I play harder, everybody plays harder.”
Murray scored 33 of his team’s 63 points in the second half, and the Nuggets outscored Utah 61-36 from the 9:44 mark of the third quarter on.
Down big early in the second half, the Nuggets revealed a rare
fight they can build off of, especially after their defense had been shredded throughout the first four-and-a-half games.
Nikola Jokic added 31 points, six rebounds and four assists, his selfless nature more than willing to cede the spotlight to his counterpart.
Neither Nuggets cornerstone rested over the final two quarters. Meanwhile, versatile forward Jerami Grant sat for barely over a minute of the second half, and Malone rode with Michael Porter Jr. and P.J. Dozier essentially the entire fourth quarter.
Mitchell led the Jazz with 30 points, but the Nuggets may have finally found the answer to Utah’s offensive riddle.
The Jazz managed only 44 points in the entire second half, which was a far-cry from the onslaughts Utah offered in earlier games of the series.
Less than three minutes into the third quarter, the Jazz were, again, threatening to pour it on and held a 15-point lead. From there, Murray hoisted the Nuggets on his back.
His bullish drives and dogged finishes were punctuated by a reverse, 360-layup in Rudy Gobert’s grill to cut the deficit to two. His 17 third-quarter points temporarily wrested the Nuggets from the brink of elimination and sawed the margin to just four heading into the final quarter.
Despite having, by far, the worst defense of all the playoff teams entering Tuesday, the Nuggets rode an aggressive, physical offense and kept attacking.
Utah’s 3-point shooting had been magnificent throughout the series, and its litany of playmakers continue to expose the Nuggets’ lack of healthy twoway players. That’s why Dozier’s defense down the stretch was so pivotal.
Even in the loss, the Jazz still shot 16-of-34 from 3-point range.
The postseason absences of Will Barton (knee) and Gary Harris (hip) were a massive obstacle to Denver’s defensive efforts.
Harris was listed as questionable heading into Tuesday’s game, however, according to Malone, it ultimately came down to the oft-injured guard’s confidence.
“I would never ask a player to go out there if he does not feel confident in his abilities to go out there and perform,” Malone said prior to the game. “Gary Harris will play when Gary Harris is comfortable and confident.”
Mike Singer: msinger@denverpost.com or @msinger