Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray left his team’s 119-116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night due to a concussion. It’s too early to speculate on a timeline, but depending on how long it takes to progress through concussion protocol, he could face a tough time on the sidelines.
Early in the third quarter, Murray cut to the basket off a Nikola Jokic screen and curled up to the free throw line to set up a back screen for Aaron Gordon. However, before Murray could set, he collided with Anthony Edwards, causing him to fall forward. As a result, when Julius Randle tried to go through a screen, he crashed into Murray’s head instead of his chest.
Murray immediately bent down and began rubbing his head. He appeared briefly, but was then removed from the match and sent to the locker room, from which he did not return.
Again, it’s too early to say how many games, if any, Murray will miss as a result of this incident. However, the shock and initial reaction certainly didn’t look good, and the Nuggets will face the Utah Jazz again on Saturday, the second night of a back-to-back.
The injury continues to be a tough start to the season for Murray. Murray wasn’t his usual self during last season’s playoffs and earlier this summer when he represented Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He entered Friday averaging 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and shooting 38 percent from the field through the Nuggets’ first four games. When he left the game against the Timberwolves, he had just six points, two rebounds, and three assists on seven shots in 22 minutes.
Murray’s poor play is a major reason why the Nuggets are off to a 2-3 start this season, needing overtime wins against the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors to get two wins. .
There are big concerns about whether Murray can still be an elite No. 2 option alongside Jokic, but at least he’s someone his opponents have to respect. The same can’t be said for most of the Nuggets’ supporting cast, who have really struggled.
Entering Friday, the Nuggets’ bench was averaging just 22.5 points per game, which ranked 28th in the league. After losing a number of key role players in recent years, Denver has looked to keep its bench together with a combination of veterans (Russell Westbrook, Dario Saric) and young players (Peyton Watson, Hunter Tyson, Julian Stroller). But that hasn’t been done at all. I worked.
If Murray could be forced to miss significant time, it would be a big problem for the Nuggets, who are already behind the pace in a crowded Western Conference.
