There were real questions about whether Jamal Murray would even play during Monday night’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers, let alone be effective. Murray answered the bell on a hurt calf with a clutch performance that included a vicious dunk on LeBron James and another game-winner, helping the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Behind the scenes, the real tug-and-pull about Murray’s health seemed to come from Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.
In his post-game press conference, Malone revealed he had an “emotional” pre-game conversation with Murray about his availability for Game 5. It was probably the kind of discussion where a head coach has to strike the balance of looking at the big picture while one of his star players wants to compete and be there for his team at all costs.
Inevitably, Malone revealed that Murray told him he was glad he played because the Nuggets probably wouldn’t have won without him. The Denver coach agreed, calling that “the understatement of the year.”
You can find the sequence starting at the :13 timestamp below, courtesy of DNVR:
Michael Malone had nothing but praise for Jamal Murray in the postgame presser. "Can't say enough good things about (him)…one tough cookie." pic.twitter.com/ny8utnL970
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 30, 2024
Here’s Malone’s thoughts on Murray’s heroics through his calf injury in full:
“For Jamal [Murray], to add to his playoff lore by having two game-winners in a series is just incredible,” Malone said. “The conversation before the game, without getting into too much detail, was an emtional one about him playing tonight. As he [Murray] just told me, he goes ‘I’m glad I played because I don’t know if we win if I don’t play tonight.’ I said, ‘Well that’s the understatement of the year,'” Malone laughed.
It’s obvious Malone and Murray have a special coach-to-player relationship, one that goes beyond the basketball court. Their bond shined through in a moment when the Nuggets needed it most.
