Nuggets' Jamal Murray gets Christmas Day injury update for Suns showdown
12/24/2024 01:38 PM
The final game of the 2024 NBA Christmas Day slate features an intriguing matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, two teams with a lot of animosity between them. Aside from meeting in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals, these two teams met on Christmas during the 2022-23 season in Denver, a game the Nuggets won 128-125 in overtime. While the spotlight will be cast on superstars like Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant for this battle, there are a lot of questions being asked about Jamal Murray’s health.
Murray, who missed the Nuggets’ 117-90 victory over the Suns in Denver on Monday due to a right ankle sprain, is once again on the injury report ahead of the showdown on Christmas. Although the team has yet to release his official injury designation for Wednesday’s game in Phoenix, Murray’s status is to be determined.
Denver head coach Michael Malone said while Murray was ruled out for the second night of a back-to-back in the first meeting against the Suns, it is not out of the realm of possibilities for the star guard to play on Christmas Day, according to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
“On the flight back, (we were) hoping that it would improve, and the swelling would go down," Malone said of Murray’s absence on Monday. "(The ankle) received treatment all night, this morning, but obviously just didn't respond how we had hoped. So we'll go without Jamal tonight, and hopefully, this is not a long-term thing."
Without Murray against the Suns on Monday, it was a collective effort around Jokic that propelled Denver to a 27-point win. Outside of Jokic scoring 32 points, Michael Porter Jr. contributed with 24 points, Russell Westbrook had 11 points, and Jalen Pickett stepped up off the bench with 11 points and eight assists. Should Murray be unable to go in Phoenix on Christmas, expect the Nuggets to roll out a similar rotation with Westbrook and Pickett handling the point guard duties.
In a total of 21 games this season, Murray has averaged 19.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the floor and just 34.6 percent from three-point range. Murray’s shooting woes have been a key storyline for the Nuggets, as their inconsistencies on offense outside of Jokic have led to their slightly above-average 16-11 record to this point.
A win on Christmas against the Suns, with or without Murray, would go a long way in the Nuggets continuing to build confidence after a shaky start to the season. The team will provide further updates on Murray’s status on Wednesday.
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