The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most injury-ravaged teams this year in the association. They are currently down three starters — Nikola Jokic, Cam Johnson, and Christian Braun — due to injuries, and the likes of Aaron Gordon and Jonas Valanciunas have also missed plenty of time this season with knocks of their own. But the Nuggets have found a way to survive, and on Thursday night, they took a 107-97 victory over the Washington Wizards thanks to Peyton Watson's 35-point night and the continued, sustained excellence of Jamal Murray.
Murray has been one of the best players in the association all season, and he's definitely befitting of an All-Star nod. On Thursday, Murray took a bit of a backseat to Watson, but he still put up 24 points on 9-17 shooting from the field. And perhaps the most stunning thing of them all is that the Nuggets star was still that productive even though he was dealing with a slight injury worry of his own.
“He stretched, he was ready to go, then he got out there (and) he was a little bit tight. Jamal's got, like, you name it. Ankle. Knee,” Nuggets head coach David Adelman said, per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.
Nuggets star Jamal Murray is going to the All-Star Game
Murray has missed a few games here and there, but the Nuggets know just how incredible he's been all season long. And the Denver head coach gave his star guard his flowers, as it would be a travesty if he doesn't make it to the All-Star Game in less than a month's time.
“He's playing through a lot. He's doing it for his team. And one of the main, main reasons he's going to be an All-Star in my opinion is because he has helped carry this team through this moment and this season. … On a night where he's not moving great, he gets 24, 5 and 4,” Adelman added.
