MURRAY RETURNS, LIFTS NUGGETS IN 2OT
NUGGETS 134, JAZZ 132 (2OT)
If Saturday’s dramatic thriller was any indication, absolutely no one could complain about a firstround series between division rivals Utah and Denver.
It took two overtimes and two potentially seismic clock malfunctions, and somehow the Nuggets survived. Even after blowing separate six-point leads, once near the end of regulation and again in the first overtime session, the Nuggets withstood Jazz star Donovan Mitchell’s aerial assault to win 134-132 on Saturday.
The Nuggets improved to 4624, still safely in the No. 3 seed behind the Los Angeles Clippers.
Playing in his first real NBA game in nearly five months, Jamal Murray sealed the victory with multiple clutch baskets, including a devastating 3-pointer late in the second overtime to put the Nuggets up 128-123. He was held out for the team’s first four seeding games in Orlando due to a hamstring issue, but put together a gutsy line of 23 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in 39 minutes. He was supposed to be restricted to 22 minutes.
“I totally blew through those minutes, and he was phenomenal,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
After Mitchell drained a gametying jumper at the end of the first overtime, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic appeared to tie it at 119 with a baseline bucket. However, with 3.4 seconds left, the clock inexplicably didn’t start. It was only after a timed review that the officials deemed Jokic’s basket occurred in 3.1 seconds.
Another clock issue, this time with .3 seconds, almost gave Utah another chance to win it.
“Down the stretch, I thought Jamal and Nikola showed why they are one of the better dynamic duos in the entire NBA,” Malone said.
Jokic finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, anchoring the offense when Murray was laboring. Twelve of Jokic’s points came in the first overtime.
Asked why he feels so comfortable in clutch situations, Jokic offered a small window into his mindset.
“Because there’s no pressure,” he said. “It’s 3, 2, 1, and you need to shoot. I cannot think about it.”
Denver’s sensational rookie Michael Porter Jr. added 23 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth consecutive double-double in the “bubble.”
Mitchell, whose clutch shooting gave the Jazz life multiple times in the extra sessions, finished with 35 points and eight assists.
The Nuggets were up 104-98 with 19 seconds left in regulation before Murray was called for a foul on Mitchell, which cracked the door open for the Jazz. Next, Mitchell’s timely 3-pointer and game-tying layup erased the Nuggets’ lead and forced an overtime session that never should’ve been needed.
Still, the Nuggets, who once trailed by 18 in the first half, trudged on.
“Obviously that game was won and lost by both teams, quite a few times,” Malone said.
For the fifth consecutive game, the Nuggets were without regular starters Gary Harris and Will Barton due to injury. As the playoffs inch closer, with just three more seeding games until they begin, time is running out for both wings to get acclimated after a five-month layoff.