Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray broke the hearts of the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans by sinking the game-winner in Game 5 to knock them out of the playoffs. Just before he hit that shot, though, Taurean Prince could be seen urging Rui Hachimura to double Murray, but he decided against it.
I think doubling would have been the right thing to do there. Hachimura was on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who had gone 2-10 from the field and 1-6 from beyond the arc in the game.
Sure, you ideally don't want to leave a shooter like him open, but I would much rather have Caldwell-Pope shoot it than Murray, who had it going in that fourth quarter. With that game-winner, the Canadian finished the contest with 32 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal.
It might seem a bit strange at first, but I think Nuggets head coach Michael Malone deserves a bit of credit for Hachimura not doubling Murray there. After LeBron James had tied the game at 106 with 26.1 seconds remaining, Malone chose not to call timeout despite having two of them.
It meant the Lakers did not get a chance to sit and discuss what they were going to do on this possession. Had they got that opportunity, it is possible that the coaching staff would have instructed that Murray be doubled in a situation like that.
Instead, some of the players had to make that call on the fly and Hachimura decided to stay with Caldwell-Pope. Murray, who had gained some separation from Reaves thanks to that screen from Nikola Jokic, made him pay with his second game-winner of the series.
Taurean Prince Struggled In Game 5
While Prince made the right call on that possession, he didn't do a whole lot else right on the night. The 30-year-old went 0-5 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with just 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 block.
It was a fitting end to a difficult first season as a Laker. Prince was often blamed by the fans for the team not playing well, as they felt the likes of Hachimura should have started ahead of him.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham stuck with Prince for much of the first half of the season, though, but did finally have him come off the bench in the second half. He did fairly well as a reserve and was probably the best performer among that second unit in this series against the Nuggets, despite that showing in Game 5.
Prince is going to be a free agent this summer and it will be interesting to see if the Lakers try to bring him back. As for Hachimura, he will be on the roster next season, unless the Lakers decide to include him in some trade package. His series ended up being the opposite of Prince's in some ways.
Hachimura did not manage to score in double digits in any of the first four games. Shannon Sharpe had even called out Hachimura following a three-point outing in Game 2. The 26-year-old then had his best outing of the series in Game 5, recording 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. Unfortunately, he ended things by deciding against doubling Murray.
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