May 3, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts in the third quarter against the LA Clippers during game seven of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Jamal Murray Makes NBA History in Nuggets-Thunder Game 5

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated May 13, 2025 11:09 PM ET

The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder are facing off for a highly anticipated second-round playoff series, as the two NBA MVP frontrunners face off in Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, the winner of this series will likely be decided by the superstars' supporting casts.

The Nuggets and Thunder have split the series 2-2 heading into Tuesday night's Game 5, and this game in Oklahoma City is just as even as the rest of the series has been. At halftime, the Nuggets hold a 56-54 lead, led by Jokic with 19 points and nine rebounds on 8-13 shooting from the field and 2-3 from three-point range.

24 minutes in pic.twitter.com/MxB1tFp3ie
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 14, 2025

However, the Nuggets have needed Jokic's sidekick to step up. Jamal Murray. Through the first half, Murray contributed 11 points on 4-11 shooting from the field, but was able to climb up an esteemed NBA ranking.

With his 11 first-half points, Jamal Murray passed Jamaal Wilkes for 89th place on the NBA all-time playoff scoring list with 1,811 points and counting.

Add another tough acrobatic finish to Jamal Murray's 2025 postseason highlight reel

He's got 11 points in the first-half so far!!

DEN (2-2) OKC Game 5 I TNT pic.twitter.com/7Xjus3cCFD
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025

Murray has been noted as one of the league's top playoff performers for years. Through five career trips to the playoffs, Murray has dropped 40+ points on six occasions, highlighted by two 50-point performances in the same series against the Utah Jazz in 2020.

Murray played a huge role in Denver's run to a 2023 championship, and now, as they look to make another trip to the Western Conference Finals and possibly the NBA Finals, Denver desperately needs him to step up.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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