Only a handful of players in the NBA have the ability to elevate their game to another level in the playoffs. Jamal Murray is one of them. During the Nuggets’ historic title run two years ago, the point guard played a crucial role, upping his averages to 26.1 points and over seven assists. This year, Denver fans expect him to have a similar impact. And Murray is trying his best to live up to those expectations despite playing through adversity.

Well, Jamal has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury for quite some time. That even caused him to miss some games toward the end of the regular season. So, when his name was not on the injury report for tonight’s Game 2 clash against the Clippers, it was a huge relief for Nuggets’ fans. However, that feeling quickly turned to concern when Murray showed up at the court wearing a full sleeve warmer underneath his jersey. An unusual outfit choice indeed.

When the game began, the point guard did not look a 100%, visibly slow in his step while moving up and down the court. Speculations began that Murray is dealing with an illness. But there is no official report confirming it yet. Moreover, the illness, if any, did not reflect in his performance. He played his usual 19 minutes in the first half and even led his team in scoring with 12 points.

Of course, the fans’ concern is justified because Murray has never worn such long sleeve warmers during games. Also, he logged in a whopping 48 minutes on Saturday to lead his team to an overtime victory in Game 1, which could have led to fatigue and overexertion. But as long as Murray plays his usual minutes and continues getting buckets, fans have no reason to be worried.

Jamal Murray: “nothing special” in Game 1; revealed intentions for Game 2

While most of the credit for the Nuggets’ recent success goes to Nikola Jokic, Murray’s contribution sometimes gets overlooked. On Saturday, he made a crucial defensive play in the final seconds of the fourth quarter where he forced a turnover on Kawhi Leonard while the Clippers were up one. That play gave the Denver team an opening to make a comeback and force overtime. And they did.

However, Murray kept a humble approach after the big win, saying, “I didn’t really do anything. I just tried to play solid throughout the game. I had some good looks that I didn’t make but I didn’t do anything special.” He finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. Keeping up a true championship mentality, he was focused on just one thing – Coming out stronger in Game 2.

“Just glad we came out with the dub. We did what we had to do and now we gotta go over to Game 2. That same kind of mentality you know I don’t think we played our best today as a unit and I think we can be a lot better for Game 2. We kind of saw or got a feel for everything that’s gonna go on in the game and the energy and all that. So yeah, to Game 2.” He added. Tonight, Jamal is showing that even when battling an ailment, he has his team’s best interest in mind as he leaves his all on the court. Thoughts?