During their 125-120 defeat to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, the Denver Nuggets were sorely missing a key contributor.
Denver was without star point guard Jamal Murray for the fifth consecutive contest. The Nuggets have gone 1-4 in these last clashes sans the 6-foot-4 Kentucky product, who’s struggling to recuperate from right hamstring inflammation.
In the contest, three-time league MVP center Nikola Jokic notched a 41-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.
Despite the loss, Nikola Jokić put on another spectacular performance!
41 PTS
15 REB
13 AST pic.twitter.com/79f40AgGFY— NBA (@NBA) April 7, 2025
Starting Nuggets shooting guard Christian Braun logged 30 points and eight boards. Jalen Pickett started in the stead of Murray, with his normal backup Russell Westbrook remained a reserve.
Per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, head coach Michael Malone indicated that there was a possibility Murray might not be healthy in time for the playoffs.
“Jamal’s hurt. It’s not [a case of Denver being] careful. He’s hurt,” Malone said. “So there’s a big difference. Careful is if a guy can play and you want to be smart. We’re not in a situation to do that. There are six teams vying for four (playoff) spots. So if Jamal Murray is not out there, it’s not careful. It’s because he literally just is not able to play at the moment.”
Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets greets fans on the way to the locker room after the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 23, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Tim Warner/Getty Images
The Nuggets are currently the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record. Denver is just 0.5 games ahead of the Nos. 5-8 seeds, the L.A. Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies, all of whom are 46-32 on the year.
As Durando notes, Denver now has just a 53.7 percent chance of preserving a top-six seed in the West heading into the posteason.
Across their last 13 bouts, the Nuggets have gone just 5-8. Denver is 1.5 games behind the 48-30 Los Angeles Lakers, the conference’s No. 3 seed.
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Based on Malone’s comments, it certainly seems like Murray will be back before the end of the 2024-25 regular season. The Nuggets’ season finale, a matchup against the West’s current No. 2 seed, the Houston Rockets, is slated for Sunday, April 13.
But will he be back for the postseason?
The Nuggets have plummeted to a 53.7% chance of avoiding the Play-In with a top-six seed.
They’ve spent 49 of the last 55 days in third place or higher; not a day below fourth during that time. But suddenly, their most likely seeding outcome is seventh: https://t.co/scKUsZ7Q8T https://t.co/K0wN0xj1g0 pic.twitter.com/lRurIATlsK
— Bennett Durando (@BennettDurando) April 7, 2025
“Hopefully he’s able to be back by (the playoffs),” Malone said. “This has been a weird one. It was day-to-day, day-to-day, and then next thing you know, it’s not day-to-day.”
In 65 healthy contests this year, Murray is averaging 21.6 points on .476/.396/.887 shooting splits, 6.0 assists, and 3.8 rebounds a night. He’s Denver’s second-leading scorer and second-most important distributor, behind only Jokic.