Jamal Murray pays tearful tribute to Breonna Taylor after scoring 50 points

The Jamal Murray-Donovan Mitchell duel will be settled in the first Game 7 in the bubble.

Murray, who is averaging 37.6 points per game in these playoffs, extended his brilliant run with 50 more points, leading the Denver Nuggets to a 119-107 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday night. Murray had his second 50-point game of the series to equal Mitchell, who finished with 44 in this one. No player has ever had more in an entire postseason.

Murray wore shoes with images of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, who were both killed by police this year. He was in tears as he paid tribute to them.

“These shoes give me life,” he said through tears. “Even though these people are gone, they give me life. They help me find strength.”

Murray also referenced another black person shot by police in recent months, Jacob Blake. The 29-year-old was shot in the back by a white police officer earlier this month. Three of his children were present at the time and his family say he is now paralyzed from the waist down.

“I play with a lot of heart, play with a lot of passion,” Murray told reporters after the game. “And when you’re fighting for something, it means a whole lot more. And we’ve been fighting this fight for a long time, and we’re tired of being tired.

“It’s an emotional thing because it’s not just me . ... It’s lives. It’s not ... it’s your life. Imagine losing your life. I don’t know what else to say. Imagine a father losing their life while they have kids. Imagine a father, a son, a brother getting shot seven times in front of their kids. Imagine that.”

The Nuggets and Jazz will play the series decider on Tuesday night, with the winner advancing to face the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers finished off the Dallas Mavericks in six games on the same court a few hours earlier.

Denver are trying to become the 12th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series and the first since 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers completed the only one of those comebacks that came in the NBA finals.