Before their series started, Anthony Edwards said that the Nuggets are not good when Jamal Murray is not playing.
At the beginning of Saturday night’s game, the Minnesota star guard was determined to show that he was right.
As the shot clock ran down on Denver’s first possession, Murray tried to get past Edwards but couldn’t. Edwards stopped Murray, and the Nuggets were called for an offensive three-second violation.
In the first half of the game, Murray didn’t score any points as the Nuggets lost 106-99 to the Timberwolves. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said that Murray didn’t practice all week because of a calf injury, which may explain why he didn’t play well. But Minnesota's defense on Murray was also important in their 1-0 series lead.
“(Murray) couldn’t make a shot,” Malone said.
Anthony Edwards on-ball defense on Jamal Murray pic.twitter.com/aVmpk0Geyo
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 4, 2024
Edwards defended Murray well at the start of the game. Murray missed three shots and then was taken out of the game as Denver was losing 18-4 with 5:12 left in the first quarter. The Timberwolves did a good job of changing who was defending Murray.
In the second quarter, it was Minnesota guard Michael Conley Jr.’s turn. As Murray tried to get past the veteran guard, Conley stayed strong. Murray then passed the ball to forward Aaron Gordon, who missed a jumper.
On Denver’s next possession, Murray missed a pull-up jumper. Minutes later, his floater was no good. Murray didn’t score any points on five attempts in the first half, with three missed shots from around the free throw line. It was the first time in his career that Murray didn’t score any points in a half in the postseason.
“(The Timberwolves) know what they are doing in the pick-and-roll, and they put a lot of good defenders on Jamal,” Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic said.
In the second half, Murray finally started playing well. He scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, as he tried to keep up with the Timberwolves’ offensive surge in the third and fourth quarters. His four-point play, coming on stepback 3-pointer against Karl-Anthony Towns, gave the Nuggets an 81-80 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Eventually, Edwards scored two baskets to take the lead back. And Murray couldn’t do the same late-game heroics that won games against the Lakers in the first round.
Jaden McDaniels defense on Jamal Murray pic.twitter.com/LwzGqAEoW8
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 5, 2024
“(Minnesota) is physical and (makes) you take tough shots,” Jokic said.
Murray had trouble for a long time in the first round against L.A. He shot 40% from the floor and 29.4% from the 3-point line in five games. But when he got 32 points and made the game-winning shot in Game 5 against the Lakers, Murray briefly stopped people from worrying about his calf injury.
Sadly for Denver, the sudden increase in scoring didn't continue into the first half against Minnesota. And Murray's 14 shot attempts were the lowest in a postseason game since 2020.
If Denver wants to recover from the 1-0 deficit it's in after Saturday night, things will likely need to change when Game 2 takes place on Monday night.
