Before the 2025 offseason, nobody would've thought that a game between the Denver Nuggets and Brooklyn Nets in the middle of the season would mean so much and have nothing to do with the standings. After suffering a defeat in their last matchup, the Nuggets had no plans of letting the Nets sweep the regular season series.

The matchup now carries weight due to the blockbuster trade this past offseason, sending talented forward Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Nets for Cameron Johnson. Johnson ended up being sidelined for both contests, while Porter Jr. made sure to make his presence known.

Porter Jr. might've improved upon his performance from the last time the two teams met, finishing with a game-high 38 points, but it wasn't enough as Jamal Murray led the way with 27 points, and nine of those coming in the final 2:26 of the fourth quarter.

After being listed as probable heading into the contest, Murray was able to lead the way for the Nuggets offensively, as well as a strong 25-point performance from Tim Hardaway Jr. off the bench. But, as mentioned, the most important part was Murray's clutch gene at the end of the game, prompting a response from his head coach.

"Oh man, that I’ve coached? I mean, he’s got to be up there, him and Nikola [Jokic]," David Adelman said, regarding where Murray ranks among the most clutch players he's coached." Over the years, those are the two top guys that I’ve been around. They have it in them. Not to mention, he was getting attacked all night, blitzed. He had to make tough shots for us."

With the Nuggets leading 95-94 in the final minutes of the game, it was Murray whom the team turned toward, putting up a quick five points, then icing the game with a step back jumper and a pair of free throws at the end.

NBA fans have seen Nikola Jokic be clutch multiple times, but there was no opportunity for that with him sidelined, giving the floor to Murray to showcase that he can do it too.

"Our offense bogged down with all of the switching and hitting. So yeah, he just has it in him, not scared of it. It’s so nice to have a guy like that, where you can just call up a matchup and let him do his thing...But yeah, he’s just a special player, All-Star player. What a special year from Jamal," Adelman added.

The All-Star reserves are set to be announced in a few days, and at this point, Murray has seemingly done more than enough to deserve a spot in the game, especially when factoring in what he's done since Jokic went down.

Looking ahead, the Nuggets will have a rematch of their first-round series from last postseason, hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in a contest where Murray could very well have to step up in the clutch again up against one of the hottest teams in the NBA.