It took a whole team effort from the Denver Nuggets to take home a 130-124 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, and in the process, a Denver star was able to play without limitation or concern from a recent injury. 

Jamal Murray is undoubtedly one of the most crucial pieces in the Nuggets' roster. Murray is one of Denver's franchise players alongside Nikola Jokic and has been the team's leading scorer with an average of 26 points per game. 

That's why any injury to Murray becomes an immediate concern for the team, and since he has been dealing with calf tightness that has put his playing status at risk since it was first reported on Oct. 30, there's been a lot of reason to have that concern.

However, Monday's game offered some relief in that area. Murray played 32 minutes on Monday, tied for his second-lowest total this season, and recorded 15 points.

When asked if Murray's minutes were limited specifically to protect his calf from a more serious injury, Denver head coach David Adelman said that it wasn't on his mind and that Murray was able to have more of a break because of the way the rest of the team stepped up. 

"I wasn't protecting it tonight to be honest," Adelman said (via Nuggets). "I just thought the way that the game ran, same thing with Nikola [Jokic] in the second quarter, my plan was to get him in earlier. But, it felt like we were doing a good enough job where it didn't have to happen."

The Nuggets' starting five all turned in double-digit performances, and strong showings from Jonas Valančiūnas, who scored eight points and pulled down three rebounds, and Bruce Brown, who dropped 13 points in 22 minutes, gave the Nuggets enough cushion throughout the game that any rest for Murray came naturally, rather than as part of any deliberate plan. 

"If you can save a few minutes here and there, and still feel like you're in a good spot in the game, I'd like to do that," Adelman said. "I though that the starting unit came back in at the end of the second quarter and had a lot of energy and pushed the lead back out to a somewhat comfortable spot. So, it was a good team win."

The first half was crucial for the Nuggets to get that cushion in place as they outscored the Kings 72-63. Even with a faltering second half, Denver  had built up enough of a lead that crunch time wasn't ever an issue and they simply had to hold in to a win, rather than fight for it. 

Keeping Murray on the court is of the utmost importance for the Nuggets and if they keep playing so well as a unit, they'll be able to afford to give him a handful of minutes off of it as well.