Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray sprained his right ankle Sunday night in New Orleans, causing him to miss Denver’s home game on Monday night against the Suns, coach Michael Malone said.
Malone didn’t rule out a return for Murray on Wednesday when the Nuggets visit Phoenix for a prime-time rematch that’ll be part of the NBA’s Christmas day slate.
“On the flight back, (we were) hoping that it would improve, and the swelling would go down,” Malone said. “(The ankle) received treatment all night, this morning, but obviously just didn’t respond how we had hoped. So we’ll go without Jamal tonight, and hopefully, this is not a long-term thing.”
Murray forced overtime in New Orleans by knocking down a step-back jumper with nine seconds remaining. He finished the night with 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. He has scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games since returning from a hamstring injury, bringing his season average up to 19.1 points per game. The Nuggets are 7-3 when he scores at least 20 and 4-0 when he scores at least 25.
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