Jamal Murray's awful night sends Nuggets home in six games

Jamal Murray is no longer a playoff superstar

For a player whose reputation is built on huge playoff performances that make up for his often ordinary regular seasons, the last three playoffs have been brutal for Murray. He shot 11-of-42 (26.2 percent) on threes in this series and 35.7 percent overall. Last year, Murray had games of 14, 17 and 13 points as the Nuggets lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Murray scored 35 points when the Wolves eliminated the Nuggets in Game 7 in 2024, but he averaged just 18.4 points and shot 40.4 percent from the series. He did have multiple game-winners against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, but that came against a team with remarkably poor perimeter defenders in D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Spencer Dinwiddie.

He's simply no longer a playoff star, and he's being paid like a superstar. Despite making his first All-Star team this year and averaging a career-high 25.4 points, the Nuggets have to consider whether Murray is a product of the defensive attention on Jokic and the Joker's excellent passing.

If Murray had shot even 35 percent on Game 6 or hit even a single three-pointer, the Nuggets would probably be heading for a Game 7. As things stand, they're heading for a difficult summer and what could be some serious roster changes.