By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
After drilling his second 3-pointer in a span of 28 seconds midway through the fourth quarter to essentially bury the Phoenix Suns in Game 1, Jamal Murray stood at half-court during the ensuing timeout and implored the home crowd to stand and get loud.
“We waited for this!” Murray shouted twice while pointing his fingers toward the court.
Murray scored 34 points, hitting six of Denver’s 16 3-pointers, and the Nuggets sprinted past the Phoenix Suns 125-107.
After tearing the ACL in his left knee in April 2021, Murray missed all of the 2021-22 season. He was determined to remind everyone what he can do at this time of the year. The last time he played in the postseason, he averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 50.5% from the field in leading the Nuggets to the Western Conference finals in the Orlando bubble in 2020.
“He is playing amazing,” said back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, who had 24 points and 19 rebounds. “He is definitely showing what he is capable of. He is our best player and we are following him right now.”
Murray made 13 contested shots, the most in a game in his playoff career, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. None was more challenging than when he delivered a playground-like highlight in the fourth.