Murray’s bruises taking toll in physical playoffs

#AbuseTheArrow? #MugMurray? #JamJamal?

Even if it isn’t trending on Twitter, it’s sure as heck is trending in the early throes of the Nuggets-Blazers playoff series. And Jamal Murray has the bruise — sorry, bruises, we’re up to plurals now — to prove it.

“(Those screens) hurt. It is what it is,” the Nuggets’ point guard said after a painful 15-point, seven-rebound effort against Portland in a 97-90 Game 2 loss at the Pepsi Center late Wednesday.

“(It) hurt for the rest of the game,” Murray said. “Couldn’t move, obviously. Coach had to take me out. (I’ll) get treatment and get ready for Game 3, but it’s definitely hurting.”

Murray aggravated a right thigh injury initially suffered in the Nuggets’ first-round series victory over San Antonio, one of the casualties of jumping into the trenches with Gregg Popovich when elimination’s on the line. The Spurs also unearthed a strategy — effective, if underhanded — to effectively pour sugar into Denver’s offensive gas tank:

Murray can’t beat you from long distance, or via his movement on the pickand-roll, if the kid doesn’t have two healthy legs to stand on.

Ergo, the Blazers are also merrily banging away on No. 27 via screens and other assorted love taps. And the stats don’t lie: Going into Friday’s Game 3 at Portland, whenever Murray has been held under 39 percent shooting from the floor in the postseason, the Nuggets are 0-4 — a trend line that includes the Blue Arrow’s 6-for-18 line (33.3 percent) during Denver’s setback in Game 2.

“I mean, shot for shot, I missed a ton in the first half where I was completely wide open,” said Murray, who’d connected on 8-of-15 attempts (53.3 percent), 3of-6 from beyond the arc, in Game 1. “We just missed. (We) had our opportunities to close the gap over and over, but we just didn’t. I think our effort defensively in the second half was really great, but it came down to us putting the ball in the hoop.”

“I think it is (carrying over from San Antonio),” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Murray.