Nuggets’ Jamal Murray scores 45, continues to round back into form in blowout win over Mavericks

They’d never admit it publicly, but the Denver Nuggets had to be pretty nervous about the way Jamal Murray kicked off his 2024-25 season. They were willing to brush off a disappointing 2024 postseason and a disastrous Olympic run with Canada over the summer when they gave him a new, max contract extension, but his performance early on was hardly commensurate with his new compensation. Murray averaged just under 18 points per game on 42% shooting in his first 17 games this season. Fine numbers for most players but not acceptable for someone making what Murray is making.

On the heels of a second-round postseason exit, Denver lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the offseason. They lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green a year prior after winning the NBA title. If they were going to overcome those absences, they needed their best players to give them more, not less. But the recurring effects of injuries that began last season took a toll. Murray struggled and so did the team.

But over the past month or so, Murray has slowly rounded back into form. In his last 15 outings, Murray is back above 20 points per game. Denver is 10-5 in those games. Murray is getting to the rim more frequently, and he’s shooting a better percentage once he gets there. Most importantly, though, the 3s are starting to fall again. He’s making 42% of them in that stretch, and on Tuesday against the Dallas Mavericks, Murray made just about everything — particularly in the first half.

The tally through 24 minutes: 32 points on 12 of 15 shooting and 4 of 6 on 3s. Murray’s season-high for an entire game entering Tuesday was 34 points. The 32 he scored in the first half against Dallas was good enough for second place on its own.

And by the time the final buzzer sounded on Denver’s 118-99 victory, Murray had tallied 45 points on 18 of 26 shooting. It was his best individual scoring effort since he tied his career-high of 50 on Feb. 19, 2021. 

Murray’s re-emergence key to Denver’s title hopes

Yes, the Mavericks were without key rim protector Dereck Lively for most of the half on Tuesday, but Murray’s shots came from everywhere. He made two shots in the restricted area, four in the rest of the paint, four from mid-range and four from behind the arc. This is the sort of varied scoring game that has made Murray so dangerous in the past. His two-man game with Nikola Jokic has been so dominant in part because of its unpredictability. Both of them can score and set each other up from anywhere on the court, but a hobbled Murray couldn’t quite do his part.

But now he’s slowly starting to round into form, and that has significant implications for the Nuggets and the rest of the league. Even if 20 points or so per game doesn’t sound especially impressive, remember that Murray has never topped 21.2 per game in a full season. He has never posted gaudy regular-season numbers. What matters here is his health. That he’s starting to play in line with his typical regular-season level suggests he’ll be ready to scale up in the playoffs as he almost always has. 

Before last season, Murray averaged 25 points per game in the playoffs. That is the version of Murray that won Denver a championship, and that is the one the Nuggets are hoping will be able to peak when the weather gets warm. This improvement is the first real sign that the Nuggets have had all season that he’s coming.

And if he does? That changes Denver’s entire trade deadline calculus. The Nuggets have been linked to star guards like Zach LaVine in part because Murray’s struggles hinted at a need for more shot creation. They certainly still need help for their bench, but their primary lineups featuring both Murray and Jokic have thrived offensively in this stretch. Denver has very little to trade with and is already pressed up against the second apron. If the Nuggets can avoid a major reshaping of the roster, they’d likely prefer to. 

This version of Murray makes that option a bit more palatable. If he keeps this up, a Nuggets team that looked to be in significant decline might be able to play its way back into the Western Conference title race after all.