Nuggets fans are hardly surprised.
Mar 23, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) attempts to shoot the ball as Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most resilient teams in the NBA in 2024-25. They toed the .500 line for most of 2024, heard all of the criticism for how they chose to try to replace Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and ultimately came out stronger because of it.
While it was Nikola Jokic whose generational 2024-25 campaign kept the Nuggets in the mix, it’s fittingly Jamal Murray who has proven that Denver is a true contender again.
Denver fell to 16-13 on Dec. 27, dropping a 149-135 offensive slugfest to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then, the Nuggets are 29-14, including a nine-game winning streak that bolstered their efforts to secure home-court advantage.
One of the most intriguing elements of their success in recent weeks has been the fact that five different players have led them in scoring over their past 11 games.
On the surface, that indicates a shift in balance, with Jokic’s MVP-caliber season being aided by the emergence of key supporting players. The crucial context, however, is that the 30-year-old hasn’t played since he dropped 40 points on Mar. 15.
Thankfully, in the fourth game he’s missed, it was Murray who stepped up and reminded the skeptics of why the Nuggets can win a second title in three years.
Rockets win a reminder that Playoff Murray is a real thing
Playing without its franchise player, Denver defeated the red-hot Houston Rockets 116-111—on the road. The Rockets had won nine straight games, but the Nuggets confidently marched into Houston and picked up perhaps their biggest win of the season.
Leading the charge was Murray, who dropped 39 points and seven assists to propel the Jokic-less Nuggets to a win that has them just 1.0 game behind the Rockets in the standings.
Defeating the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference on their home court would’ve been impressive with Jokic on the court. Doing so without the three-time MVP, with Houston entering the game on a nine-game winning streak, is an entirely different feat.
The most important development from that game, however, is that Playoff Murray appears to have returned—and there’s every reason to believe he can sustain this form.
Murray boasts star-caliber career postseason averages of 24.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game. That makes it eerie to note that he’s averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.8 three-point field goals made on .510/.439/.926 shooting over his past 25 appearances.
Perhaps it’s a leap of faith, but Murray is looking like the player who has scored at least 50 points in two playoff games, 40-plus in five, and upward of 30 in 18.
If that seems like an exaggeration, know that Murray dropped 55 points on the Portland Trail Blazers just over a month ago. In his 15 showings since, he’s posted four 30-point games, as well as nine with at least 20 points—including the 39 he dropped on Houston.
With Murray returning to his game-breaking form, the benefit of health appears to be all Denver will need to make another run at a championship.