Injury fears involving Jamal Murray resurfaced once again Sunday night.
Murray’s knee started bothering him prior to Denver’s first preseason game at Ball Arena, coach Michael Malone said Monday. Murray ended up playing 18 first-half minutes then sitting out the rest of the game. The Nuggets’ other starters played through the end of the third quarter.
“He told me this morning that he had been feeling great, then all of a sudden last night during his pregame warm-ups, it just was starting to feel a little funny, if you will,” Malone said. “A lot of times, he’s able to just kind of get going and play through (injuries), and it’ll loosen up. And last night that wasn’t the case. But up until that point, he’s been healthy, ready to go. I asked him this morning, I said, ‘Where do you think your conditioning is?’ And he feels he’s in a good place.”
Murray tore his left ACL and underwent a surgical reconstruction of the ligament in April 2021, causing him to miss two playoff runs and the entire 2021-22 season. Throughout last season, he navigated a collection of minor leg injuries that caused him to miss 23 games. He struggled in the 2024 playoffs and during the Paris Olympics, where he suited up for the Canadian national team. Nuggets president Josh Kroenke commended Murray in August for his toughness and desire to play through injuries on those big stages.
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“Knock on wood; I have seen a healthy Jamal Murray,” Malone said on Oct. 4 before Denver’s first preseason game in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. “I’ve seen a guy that … (has been) explosive. Making plays. And that’s always a micro-goal of any game that you go into during the preseason, is making sure you have player health.”
Murray scored two points on 1-of-6 shooting in Sunday’s preseason loss to Phoenix, contributing three rebounds, three assists and a steal. Appearing in all three preseason games so far, he has averaged 5.3 points on 32% shooting from the field and a 20% clip from 3-point range.