Nuggets Notes: Murray, Title Hopes, Porter, Bench

After missing the playoffs the last two years because of a torn ACL in his left knee, Jamal Murray is back and looking like the dominant force he was during the Orlando bubble, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Murray delivered 34 points and nine assists on Saturday night as the Nuggets topped Phoenix in their series opener. He drilled six three-pointers, including a pair on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter to help Denver pulled away.

“Those moments, when you dream of it as a kid, you try to reenact those in the backyard,” Murray said. “Just counting down (final seconds for a winning shot) or feeling the energy or hitting that big shot and you hear the crowd that loud, you live for those moments and you want to make the most of those moments. And I have been waiting for a while to be healthy to be back and playing at this level and during this time of the year.”

Murray’s ACL injury happened in April 2021 and resulted in the Nuggets being swept by the Suns that year. He sat out all of last season while recovering, and a depleted Denver team lost to the Warriors in the first round. In his last playoff appearance, Murray led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2020, and he hopes to take them even further this year.

“He is playing amazing,” Nikola Jokic said. “He is definitely showing what he is capable of. He is our best player, and we are following him right now.”

There’s more from Denver:

• Last night’s performance should help erase any doubts over Denver’s ability to win a title, contends Tony Jones of The Athletic. He points out that the Nuggets were so dominant during the regular season that they were able to cruise through March and still finish with as the top seed in the West. Along with the boost from Murray’s return, the team now has a strong defensive presence on the perimeter with the offseason additions of Bruce Brown, Christian Braun and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “You guys (the media) act like you’re surprised, like we haven’t been playing at this level for most of the season,” Murray said after Saturday’s victory. “It kind of gets tiring having to defend ourselves. So we’re just coming out, trying to play well, and trying to win games.”
• The Nuggets have also benefited from the return of Michael Porter Jr., who missed nearly all of last season after undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Suns star Kevin Durant calls Porter the X-factor in the series, per Michael Singer of The Denver Post. “He got healthy now, got an opportunity to play with a team that’s playing for something, playing meaningful basketball every year, got a Hall of Famer he’s playing with (Jokic) as well to make the game a little easier for you, so sky’s the limit for him,” Durant said. “Still young in the game, still athletic after surgeries.”
• Denver’s depth might be the difference in this series, Singer suggests in another Post article. While the Suns’ best players logged heavy minutes in the first round, Nuggets coach Michael Malone showed a willingness to use a nine- or 10-man rotation.