Jamal Murray scored 39 points in the loss.
The double-overtime thriller between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks on Wednesday ended in victory for New York 134-127 and in the six periods it took to get to that result there some outstanding performances in between, but Jamal Murray feels like he could have done more.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to victory with 42 points while Murray led the Nuggets with 39 points on 15-33 shooting and Nikola Jokic was close behind with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
Murray was the best scorer on the team for the Nuggets and played a whopping 48 minutes, but as the excitement of the game faded and the sting of the loss set in, Murray found himself thinking of all the shots he didn't make rather than the ones he did.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) talks with Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) during a free throw attempt in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesMurray Disappointed With Himself
"I just felt like I didn't make enough shots," Murray said (via Nuggets). "We got a lot of good looks. I'm always going to put it on myself, the amount of minutes and how much the ball is in my hands sometimes. It's tough, you miss some shots that you've been making your whole career."
Murray went 3-9 across both overtime periods and missed all but one of his three point attempts in overtime. Murray went just 3-13 from beyond the arc the entire game, and it's likely those missed shots and potential points that haunted Murray the most when the game came down to just a handful of points by the very end.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives past New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesMurray's willingness to take the lame for the loss despite such an outstanding individual performance is a sign of a true leader and a player on a relentless pursuit of excellence. It's those traits that have made Murray one of the faces of the Nuggets franchise and propelled him to his first All-Star selection this season.
Murray's Leadership
Those traits will also surely lead the Nuggets' guard to more excellence in the future and ideally bring his team to success in the process.
Wednesday's loss may have been the third in a row for the Nuggets, who lost yet another player to injury after Peyton Watson left the game early with a hamstring strain, but despite all the setbacks this season they've still powered their way to one of the best overall records in the NBA.
The simultaneous thrill and disappointment of Wednesday's game will fade for Murray and the Nuggets, but will remain afterwards is Murray's determination to not only be better for himself, but better for his team.