Jamaal Murray performed just below 28 minutes, his longest this season, and the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 110-99, sending LA to a 0-4 begin.
Murray scored 13 factors on 40 % capturing from the sector, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists.
The 25-year-old guard, who missed all of final season with an ACL harm, struggled from behind the arc, capturing simply 1 of seven however had a monster dunk on a fastbreak in the primary quarter.
“I just walked over to him in the huddle, gave him a big hug, and said, `Hey, man, big picture. I believe in you. I love you. I know who you are, and I know where you’re going to be at some point,”” mentioned Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned.
Murray tore his ACL in April 2021.
His harm was one in every of a rash of injuries to plague the NBA throughout the compressed season following the prolonged bubble playoffs in Orlando after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the common season.
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic virtually had one other triple-double with 31 factors, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists.
Four different Nuggets, Murray, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, additionally scored in double figures, and Denver bested the Lakers throughout the board in game stats, together with capturing 81 % from the free throw line in comparison with LA’s dismal 68.8 %.
And whereas new coach Darvin Ham had his staff enjoying protection for the primary time since LA gained the bubble title, the Lakers gave up 35 fastbreak factors towards the Nuggets.
“We work on our principles. We watch film on them. We talk about them all the time. I hate to use the altitude as an excuse, and I’m not going to do that. Guys gotta be committed consistently. They’re a fast team. Jokic likes to throw deep, long outlets,” said Hamm. “That’s the first line of defense, your transition defense. We’ll go back, look at it, and try to see what we can fix.”
The Nuggets host the Utah Jazz at dwelling Friday, and the Lakers journey to Minnesota to try to get their first win of the season.
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