Murray breaks down what went wrong in the team's 115-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
The Denver Nuggets had everything going their way on Tuesday night at Ball Arena, then watched it all slip away in the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets (29-15) fell 115-107 in a game that felt all too similar to a recent loss, and star guard Jamal Murray explained what happened after the final buzzer.
"Yeah, we got great looks. Everybody was trying to get in a rhythm, we still were up. Even with how we were shooting we were still up 88-81," Murray said. "They were scoring, LeBron [James] went on a little run, they had a couple and-ones. I feel like we just, it kind of felt like the Cleveland game where we had great looks but timely misses."
A Tale of Two Halves
The first half belonged to Denver as the Nuggets poured in 71 points and looked like they might run the Lakers (26-16) out of the building.
Murray was locked in from the jump, knocking down shots from everywhere on the court and finding his teammates for easy buckets, and the Nuggets built a 14-point lead heading into halftime after Murray drained a 56-foot heave at the buzzer to cap off a dominant opening 24 minutes.
The second half told a completely different story as the Lakers defense clamped down and held Denver to just 36 points over the final two quarters.
Los Angeles changed its game plan by blitzing Murray and forcing the ball out of his hands, and head coach JJ Redick said after the game that it took Murray out of his rhythm completely.
The strategy worked as Murray missed both of his shot attempts in the third quarter before the Lakers went on a 16-0 run in the fourth to seal the win.
Murray's Rollercoaster Performance
Murray finished with 28 points and 11 assists on the night, but the split between halves was staggering.
He scored 26 of those points in the first half while shooting efficiently and creating offense for everyone around him, then went just 1-for-5 with only two points after the break.
It was the kind of disappearing act that has frustrated Nuggets fans before, especially in big games where the team needs its star to close things out.
The comparison to the Cleveland game Murray mentioned was fitting as the Nuggets lost to the Cavaliers 113-108 on January 2nd despite leading 97-88 entering the fourth quarter.
In both contests, Denver watched quality looks rim out at the worst possible times while their opponent made timely shots down the stretch.
Looking Ahead
Playing without three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who has now missed 12 games with a hyperextended left knee, the Nuggets are asking a lot from Murray to carry the offensive load every night.
He's responded with a career-best season, averaging 26.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range.
The Nuggets will need Murray to shake off this loss quickly as they begin a three-game road trip Thursday night in Washington.