Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray has been irregularly participating in the team's two practices this week before the second round of the NBA playoffs, according to coach Michael Malone's statement on Friday.
Murray is managing a left calf strain, which he played through during Denver's first-round series final match against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. In that game, Murray scored 32 points, including a late game-winning shot with 3.6 seconds remaining. Game 1 against the third-seeded Timberwolves begins at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday at Ball Arena.
Murray played down the severity of the injury when asked about it on Thursday, recognizing that the days off between rounds were aiding in his recovery.
“Just trying to be cautious with that calf,” Malone mentioned on Friday. “Knowing that tip-off at 5 tomorrow night is the main priority.”
The Nuggets will also benefit from three days between Games 2 and 3 of the series next week, as other second-round matchups around the league catch up. Denver vs. Minnesota will start ahead of schedule after both teams won in five or fewer games in the first round.
Nuggets shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope fully participated in both practices on Thursday and Friday, despite spraining his left ankle in Game 5 against the Lakers. The injury caused him to move between the locker room and bench during the game, but he never left permanently. Caldwell-Pope is expected to have the main defensive role against Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who averaged 31 points per game in the first round.
Caldwell-Pope mentioned that his ankle felt “so-so” on Monday night, the most recent time he spoke to reporters.
