DALLAS — When Jamal Murray went to the bench with 6:38 remaining in the third quarter on Sunday, the Nuggets were losing to the Mavericks by 12 points. They were losing his minutes by 29.
Individually, Murray had five points, no assists and a turnover on 2-of-7 shooting. His defense wasn’t any better.
As he took a breather, an important game spiraled further out of control. Denver trailed by 18 when he returned three minutes later. But he returned with renewed ability, and perhaps of equal importance, renewed authority.
The Nuggets outscored Dallas by 24 when Murray was on the floor in the last 16 minutes of game time in a wacky 112-101 win — the latest example of his unusual talent for sudden redemption at seemingly the lowest moments.
The reversal almost didn’t happen this time.
“I’m just gonna defend him for a second. Because he’s not 100% healthy,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after the win at American Airlines Center. “I thought about shutting him down at halftime. Because I’m watching him out there, and I know that’s not the Jamal Murray that (I watch) when he’s playing healthy. That wasn’t him, if that makes sense.”
Malone kept his uncertainty to himself until after the game, and Murray scored 12 of Denver’s points during a critical 25-6 run that took place over eight minutes between the third and fourth quarters. The star guard buried a step-back 17-footer, while getting fouled, which tied the game with 7:54 to go. His free throw gave the Nuggets the lead.
He was playing through soreness in his left knee, which had caused him to get pulled from the previous game at halftime.
Malone went to Murray after the game Sunday and told him about almost shutting him down, Murray told The Denver Post. The 27-year-old guard said he’s “good enough to be out there.”
“It’s been a rough go,” he said. “So I’m just trying to be here for my team, give them what I’ve got and not complain.”
Murray’s injury history includes bumps and bruises to just about every muscle and bone in both of his legs. But the Nuggets are always on especially high alert when he feels pain in his left knee. It was the left ACL that he tore in April 2021, causing him to miss the next season and two playoff runs.
“It’s unfortunate. With his injury, and the past injury, that’s just something that’s going to pop up every once in a while,” Malone said before the game on Sunday. “And obviously this month of January, as we all know, is a very dense game schedule. … So we just have to continue to talk with Jamal, talk with the training staff, to see how he’s feeling.”
Murray has only missed six games this season in the first 38, but the absences were caused by three separate injuries: a concussion, an aggravated hamstring and a sprained ankle. In the games he has played, he’s averaging a career-high 35.9 minutes, four more than last season.
His November was troublingly inefficient. December was encouraging. January has been unpredictable. After struggling in both games of a back-to-back against the Spurs, Murray led Denver to an impressive win without Nikola Jokic last week, amassing 21 points and nine assists. In his last 15 games, he’s 42% from the 3-point line.
But he continues to run hot and cold.
He was culpable for the Nuggets’ predicament on Sunday. He was also responsible for their revival.
Their knack for dramatic comeback wins this season is becoming an eerie echo of Murray’s individual play. Last month, he was the catalyst behind a late 10-point rally in Sacramento, where he scored 15 points in the fourth quarter after 13 in the first three.
“We’ve been doing it for years. I think that chemistry is key, and that trust becomes stronger and stronger through the years,” Murray told The Post. “I think (Denver’s fourth-quarter success) is based on that. I think it’s everybody having a sense of comfort and knowing their spots. Especially at the end of games. And most of all, believing in each other. So I think it doesn’t come from just training camp this year. I think it’s something that’s been growing over the years.”
Malone has already called out Murray’s critics within the Nuggets fanbase this season for not believing in the guard. The 10th-year coach has remained publicly unwavering in his faith, which was on display again in Dallas. Both during and after the game.
“I can help him by trying to run plays and get certain defenders off of him, where he has a little more room to attack against a smaller defender,” Malone said. “He’s got the biggest, strongest guy on him every night. He’s attracting that kind of attention. So now it’s a matter of us just trying to, one, get him healthy; get him rest. And continue to support him. Because this team will not go anywhere if Jamal Murray doesn’t play the way we know he’s capable of playing.”
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