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Nuggets star Jamal Murray’s instant reaction to 4th-quarter heroics vs. Kings

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Rachel Strand | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 7:30 PM ET

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray has had a slow start to his season. After signing a massive four-year, $208M contract extension in the offseason, Murray has yet to truly prove to the Nuggets he is worth the money.

Murray has also been battling various injuries that have slowed him down. In fact, against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, Murray left the game and limped back to the locker room with trainers. This wasn’t overly concerning, as at one point the Nuggets had a comfortable 23-point lead in the second quarter. Astonishingly enough, the Nuggets’ defense would disappear and allow the Kings to come back into the game. In the third and fourth periods, the Nuggets and Kings would exchange blows with the lead going back and forth.

Murray would return to the game and would lead the team on a 21-10 stretch in the last four minutes. 15 of his total 28 points would end up coming in the fourth quarter. But his most important shot was a mid-range jumper over De’Aaron Fox with just nine seconds left in the game. This would end up being the game-winner, as the Kings would be unable to score on their final possession.

The Nuggets ended up earning a 130-129 victory.

Jamal Murray.

Game-Winner. pic.twitter.com/VDbXLzdnTw

— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) December 17, 2024

“You just gotta stay with it,” Murray told Altitude Sports’ Scott Hastings postgame. “I think I missed four or five good ones in a row. I just kept shooting, and I think the next five or six went in. Just gotta stay with it and stay aggressive. … The shot at the end was great, but I am glad we got the dub.”

Jamal Murray gets hot in second half, leads Nuggets to victory over Kings

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) is interviewed by media after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The 2024 season hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Murray and the Nuggets. For multiple games, the Nuggets have seriously struggled on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. They have had a bad habit of slow starts, but also have had a weird knack for heating up and closing out games with a win.

“I just think we’re starting to find our rhythm,” Murray said postgame. “Over the last couple games, we’ve been better defensively for most of the game, and just trying to have better starts to each quarter.”

Murray’s slow start to the season has been a hot topic amongst many Nuggets fans. In fact, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is aware of his slow start and knows Murray can play better, via the Nuggets on YouTube.

“Jamal is out there, he’s fighting. He did a lot of good things tonight, six assists, one turnover, but we need Jamal. We need Jamal Murray to get going. He knows that. We know that. So if he’s not shooting the ball well, if he’s taking the right shots, if he’s defending, if he’s making good decisions, then it’s just stay with it because we know what he’s capable of,” said Malone. “And one of the coaches made an interesting point after tonight’s game.

“Very similar time of year, the Portland game, coming back from his ACL, and from that point on, Jamal Murray was the Jamal Murray that we’ve all come to love, and maybe tonight’s a game that can get Jamal going to have a 15-point fourth quarter for a really important road win against a team that had us on the ropes, and Jamal helped get us off those ropes and leads us to a win. So hopefully this can be a boost to his confidence and his overall spirit.”

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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