Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Jamal Murray furthers legacy as a playoff icon

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 8:48 AM ET

Jimmy Butler has rightfully been given the moniker of "Playoff Jimmy" for his ability to raise his level in the postseason.

It's time to honor Jamal Murray with a "Playoff Murray" nickname.

The Nuggets guard dazzled with 43 points in his team's 131-115 Game 5 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday. The performance marked Murray's sixth career 40-point playoff outburst from 70 postseason games. In comparison, the Toronto native has the same number of 40-point games from 536 regular-season contests.

The stark contrast between his regular season and playoff performances further reinforces the notion that Murray shines under the brightest lights. For his career, he averages 18.0 points in the regular season and 24.2 in the postseason. The 6.2-point uptick is the highest among any player in NBA history, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Murray's postseason heroics have helped etch his name in Nuggets lore. With his scintillating performance on Tuesday, he surpassed teammate Nikola Jokic for the most 40-point games in franchise history.

Jamal Murray in Game 5:

43 PTS
5 REB
7 AST
3 STL
8 3P

Breaks a tie with Jokic for the most 40 PT playoff games in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/imbStQLFPS
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 30, 2025

Remarkably, Murray made 43 points with just one free-throw attempt, which he received courtesy of a transition take foul by the Clippers. The unique stat line is a first in NBA postseason history.

Jamal Murray had 43 PTS on 1 FTA.

That’s the most points in a playoff game with at most 1 free-throw attempt in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/MbQQSNzjrY
— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) April 30, 2025

Murray and Jokic were instrumental in the Nuggets capturing the 2023 NBA title and have since continued to shine on the postseason stage. According to the NBA, they're just the fourth duo where one player records 40+ points and the other a triple-double multiple times.

Jamal Murray (43 PTS) and Nikola Jokić (13 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST) become one of four duos to record 40+ PTS and a triple-double in the same playoff game multiple times, joining:

Wilt Chamberlain and Tom Gola
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
Kevin Durant and Draymond Green https://t.co/CxZf2JcZj9 pic.twitter.com/5UvqItXziN
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) April 30, 2025

Last season, Murray made two game-winning shots in the same series to send the Lakers packing in the first round. This year, he seems determined to do the same to the Lakers' crosstown rivals.

Murray and the Nuggets, up 3-2 in the series, will try to close out the Clippers in Thursday's Game 6. If the Clippers force a Game 7, the Nuggets will have home-court advantage in the series-clincher.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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