Murray leaves the game with a hip scare after a stellar 28-point, 11-assist performance.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray had fans holding their breath on Saturday night after he left the team's 136-120 win over the Chicago Bulls with a hip injury in the fourth quarter.
Murray drove to the basket and made a tough layup over Guerschon Yabusele, but landed awkwardly and was clearly in pain as he tried to get back on defense.
The Nuggets called a timeout and Murray walked straight to the locker room with about four minutes left in the game.
But after the final buzzer, Murray put everyone at ease with a simple answer about the injury.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I'll be alright. Today I got hit and it hurt, but it's okay. It'll be alright," Murray said.
Murray Was Rolling Before the Exit
Before the injury cut his night short, Murray was having one of his best games of the season and was pretty much unstoppable.
He finished with a game-high 28 points and 11 assists in just 31 minutes of action, shooting an efficient 11-of-18 from the field and knocking down four three-pointers.
It was the kind of performance that has become routine for Murray this year, as he's averaging career-highs across the board with 25.6 points, 7.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game heading into the All-Star break.
His first-ever All-Star selection this season has been well-earned, and Saturday's outing only added to the case.
With Denver up by 15 points at the time of Murray's exit, head coach David Adelman made the easy decision to keep him on the bench for the rest of the game.
"It was his hip. I don't know if he just overcommitted, but I went back and talked to him. He seemed confident he's okay," Adelman said. "It just didn't make any sense once we got up double digits to even bring him back."
Relief for an Injury-Plagued Nuggets Team
The sigh of relief around the Nuggets organization could probably be heard all the way back in Denver.
This team has been hit hard by injuries all season long, from Nikola Jokic's extended absence with a knee injury to Aaron Gordon's hamstring problems and Christian Braun's ankle issues.
Adelman even joked about how common it has become for someone to leave a game early this season, saying it has turned into "an every-night thing" for the Nuggets.
Even with all of those setbacks, Denver has managed to stay among the best teams in the West with a 34-19 record.
Saturday's win snapped a three-game losing streak and ended a rough road trip on a high note.
Jokic did his usual thing, filling up the stat sheet with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 17 assists for yet another triple-double, tying Oscar Robertson for the second-most in NBA history.
Looking Ahead
The timing of the injury could work in Murray's favor if he does need any rest.
The Nuggets have just two games remaining before the All-Star break, both at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies.
That means Murray could have close to 10 days off if needed, though Adelman sounded confident that his star guard would be ready to go as soon as Monday.
For the Bulls, the loss dropped them to 24-29 on the season, and they are now in the middle of a full-scale roster shakeup after several trade deadline moves brought in new faces like Anfernee Simons and Jaden Ivey.
It will take time for this group to gel, and Saturday's game against a contender like Denver was always going to be a tough ask.
As for Murray, the biggest takeaway from Saturday night is that it appears to be nothing more than a bump in the road for a player who has been the best version of himself all season.