![]() Murray started Game 6, though, and had 26 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. The Nuggets cut their shootaround short because other members of the team, including Malone, were feeling under the weather, and the team added Murray to the injury report as questionable with a non-COVID-19 illness. ![]() Although he struggled with his 3-point shot for stretches against the Suns, Murray was averaging 25.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds this postseason entering Game 6 against Phoenix.īut Thursday morning, Murray felt so ill, he did not participate in the morning shootaround and stayed in his room for much of the morning and early afternoon. Then he tore his left ACL the following season on April 12, 2021, and missed two consecutive postseasons. He had a breakout postseason in the 2020 bubble when he averaged 26.5 points, 6.6 assists and 50.5% shooting, including making 45.3% from behind the arc. So, we have a nice opportunity to do something."įor Murray, it has been a long journey back to the conference finals stage. It's not the finals, but I'm just talking about the teams that we lost. We were in the bubble against the Lakers, that make any sense ? We were injured against Golden State. "Hopefully it's going to be different," Jokic said. While he enters this conference finals having won two MVP awards since his first trip there in 2020, Jokic said he is unsure how this experience will be different for him. And the Warriors eliminated the Nuggets, who did not have an injured Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., in five games in the first round last postseason. They lost in five games to the Lakers in the 2020 Western Conference finals. But despite that, and the fact that the Nuggets won 53 games and finished with the West's top seed, Denver has also flown a bit under the radar.Īfter trading for Kevin Durant, the Suns became a popular choice to come out of the Western Conference playoffs and were even favored entering their series against the Nuggets despite being the lower fourth seed.Īnd even as they await the winner of the Lakers-Warriors series, the Nuggets know they'll be in the shadow of an opponent with a bigger national profile in either the LeBron James-led Lakers or the Stephen Curry-led defending champion Warriors.Įither way, the Nuggets will be looking for a little payback. Jokic continues to put up historic numbers. Jokic joined Westbrook, Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to have an all-time-best three triple-doubles in a single playoff series. ![]() Jokic overwhelmed the Suns with his third triple-double in four games, notching 32 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to go with three steals while making 13 of 18 shots. ![]() He averaged 34.5 points per game and a triple-double - the second-highest scoring average while averaging a triple-double in a playoff series all time to Westbrook's 37.4 points per game in the 2017 first round, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. Jokic completed a phenomenal series doing something only Russell Westbrook has done. The top-seeded Nuggets are returning to the Western Conference finals for the first time since losing the conference championship to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Orlando, Florida, bubble.ĭenver will host either the Golden State Warriors or the Lakers starting next Tuesday.Įither the Lakers or Warriors, who beat the Nuggets in five games in the first round last year, will be facing an even better Jokic than they each did in previous postseason encounters. I keep saying our goal is to win a championship, so we have much more work to do." We're not celebrating and popping champagne and throwing water over each other because our goal wasn't to get to the Western Conference finals. "We weren't satisfied winning the first round," Denver head coach Michael Malone said of beating Minnesota in five games. The Nuggets are on a mission to win their first-ever NBA championship and are halfway there after eliminating the Suns with a 125-100 win in Game 6. Jokic sauntered through the back hallway with his usual nonchalant body language without betraying a hint of the fact that the Nuggets were up 30 and well on their way back to the Western Conference finals.Īs they have all season long, the Nuggets followed the two-time MVP's lead with all-business looks on their faces. PHOENIX - As boos filled the air inside Footprint Center at halftime on Thursday, Nikola Jokic made his way back toward the Denver Nuggets locker room. ![]() Nuggets advance to Western Conference finals, focused on 'winning a championship' You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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