Denver Nuggets guards Jamal Murray sums up rough seven-game road trip that ended on a positive note
The Denver Nuggets began a seven-game road trip on December 27th, riding it all the way out to January 7th. With no more than a day of rest in between games, the Nuggets had some unfortunate news strike them on the trip. Heading into the roadtrip, the Nuggets were without Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Cameron Johnson, and it somehow got worse.
Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all suffered injuries on the road trip, with Jamal Murray being sidelined during the team's massive win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Even though the Nuggets went just 3-4, it seems as though there was still a reason to be proud.
Jamal Murray Speaks To Tough Road Trip For Denver
Speaking to reporters after the game, Jamal Murray spoke to what he thought of the team's seven-game road trip, featuring high highs and low lows.
"Solid. Solid. We've lost a player each game, so. You know, it's solid. I know not everybody plays sports, but it's not easy when you know guys don't know minutes and the rotations and going to different cities. We've had off-the-court bus issues, plane issues. Solid, all in all," Murray said.
Murray stepped up big time for the Nuggets since Jokic has been sidelined, averaging 26.0 points, 11.5 assists, and 6.8 rebounds in the four games he's played since Jokic went down against the Miami Heat. A strong case to secure his first All-Star selection this season, Wednesday's win helped add to his strong resume this season.
Matching up against the Boston Celtics, who have shocked some people as a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference, Denver used a strong fourth quarter to propel themselves to a 114-110 victory. Murray was stellar with 22 points and 17 assists, but Peyton Watson led the way with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
What's Ahead For The Nuggets?
With the seven-game road trip over, the Nuggets return to Denver for a two-game homestand, starting with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Atlanta made headlines on Wednesday evening after trading away franchise star Trae Young to the Washington Wizards, bringing back CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert in return.
It's unclear whether either of the two players will suit up; then, Denver will close out their homestand with the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Hopefully, both Gordon and Braun will start to shake the rust off, and the Nuggets can have some more quality depth as they adjust with Jokic off the floor for the upcoming contests.