“Put Them on Their Heels”: Nuggets Star Jamal Murray Reveals The Key to Win Against Clippers

Jamal Murray led the Denver Nuggets with teammate Nikola Jokic to a strong Game Two win over the LA Clippers. This came after quite a one-sided loss in Game One, which made people question Nuggets’ validity as title contenders. However, they bounced back really well in this game. They first took a big lead in the first half and then held on to it, despite the Clippers trying to come back.

Murray had 27 points in the Game Two victory for the Nuggets. He and Jokic had especially big first-half performances, with both dropping 20+ points in the half. Both struggled in the second half, but Murray hit a clutch three later in the fourth to help the Nuggets hold on to their lead.

Murray spoke about the win after the game and credited the energy they came out with as the reason why they could win the game.

“Our energy. We were talking, helping out more, our one-on-one defense was better, and we made shots. There wasn’t a big difference between game one and game two, we just made shots and we came with energy, going up and down the court with pace and put them on their heels a little bit.”

Jamal Murray to find consistency in this series?

Despite the big games that Murray has had this playoff run, he has suffered from bouts of inconsistency. Even though he had two 5-point games in the first round, he also had three games where he scored under 20 points. He scored under 20 points in game one as well, showing that he is developing a reputation as a streaky player.

He could only add 6 points for the Nuggets in the entire second half, noticeably struggling against the tight wing defense of the Clippers. They cut off his driving lanes and forced him into taking tough shots. He still managed almost 50% efficiency, making 10 of his 21 attempted baskets.

Jokic is the All-NBA player in the lineup, but Murray is the X-Factor for this team. His explosion as a ball-handler is hard to deal with, and if he can drop consistent 25 point performances, the Nuggets will have a better chance in this series.