Injury Fears: Jamal Murray Back and the Nuggets can’t seem to get a break, as another Star is Ruled Out
Just two days after returning to the team, Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is back on the team’s injury list. Murray is questionable for Friday’s game against the Phoenix Suns due to a right ankle strain.
On Thursday afternoon, the team announced his status, listing him on the injury report.
Murray had missed Denver’s previous 11 games due to a right hamstring strain prior to Wednesday’s triumph against the Houston Rockets. He suffered the injury during the Nuggets’ win over the Chicago Bulls on November 4.
The Nuggets battled a little while No. 27 was healing. They finished 6-5, which isn’t quite up to the standard they’ve set for themselves over the last few seasons.
In his return to the lineup, the Canadian star played a solid game, but it was clear that he was still getting his legs back underneath him. He finished the night with 16 points, six, assists, and six rebounds while shooting just 4-14 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the arc.
After the game, Murray told reporters that his hamstring was feeling fine, but voiced concerns about his ankle, according to Mile High Sports’ Ryan Blackburn.
Of course, his status for Friday’s game is still up in the air, but injuries have been a major issue for Murray for quite some time now.
He hasn’t appeared in more than 70 games in a single season since the 2018-19 campaign.
Despite the continuous ailments, Murray has been an impact player for Denver anytime he’s on the floor. In eight games this season, the 26-year-old has averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per contest, while knocking down 41.4% of his attempts from the field and 42.5% of
The Nuggets open their road trip against the Suns
Denver begins a four-game road trip on Friday.
The Nuggets will play the Phoenix Suns (11-7) in a rematch of last season’s second-round series. We’ll get into the matchup itself momentarily, but first, a look at the injury report.
INJURY REPORT
Denver:
Vlatko Čančar — OUT (Left Knee Surgery)
Aaron Gordon — QUESTIONABLE (Right Heel Strain)
Jay Huff — OUT (G League Two-Way Assignment)
Jamal Murray — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Strain)
Jalen Pickett — OUT (G League Assignment)
Hunter Tyson — OUT (G League Assignment)
Peyton Watson — PROBABLE (Illness)
Phoenix:
Bradley Beal — OUT (Low Back Strain)
Devin Booker — QUESTIONABLE (Right Ankle Sprain)
Damion Lee — OUT (Right Meniscus Surgery)
Phoenix pushed its chips center table this offseason and acquired three-time All-Star, Bradley Beal, from the Washington Wizards to form a Big 3 with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Unfortunately, Suns fans have barely seen their brand-new star trio on the floor. Beal has played in just three total games while dealing with a back issue, and Booker is currently dealing with an ankle sprain he sustained against the Toronto Raptors this week.
This is Denver’s first game against the Suns this season. The last time these two teams faced off was in the second round of last year’s playoffs. Denver bounced Phoenix in six games and won the elimination game by a whopping 25 points.
Unsurprisingly, the Suns, a team led by Kevin Durant and Booker, rank fifth in the league in midrange frequency. They’re also shooting the three-ball excellently with the third-best accuracy in the association. Altogether, that’s led to the fifth-best NBA offense through the first 20(-ish) games.
A major reason the Suns are performing so well from three is their above-the-break shooting, which at 39.5 percent leads the association. The Nuggets will need to stay attached to Phoenix’s ball-handlers so that they can’t pull up off the dribble for jumpers at the top of the key.
Look for Nikola Jokić to have a big game. The two-time regular season MVP averaged 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists against the Suns in May. Granted, Phoenix made some changes to the frontcourt, bringing in Jusuf Nurkić and Drew Eubanks in place of Deandre Ayton and Jock Landale. Still, though, Jokić always shows up big against the Suns.
TUNE-IN: Friday 8:00 p.m. MT, ESPN, and 92.5FM
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