Jamal Murray's game-winning performance shows he is 'growing up' in playoffs, says Nuggets coach Michael Malone
Monday 6 May 2019 14:52, UK
Jamal Murray's decisive 34-point Game 4 performance shows he is growing up in the playoffs, said Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
Murray hit 10 of his 20 field goals and was a perfect 11-of-11 from the line, including six clutch free throws in the final 13 seconds, to seal a 116-112 victory that wrested homecourt advantage back for the resilient Nuggets just two days after they suffered a heartbreaking four-overtime loss in Game 3.
Murray's game-high performance also featured an outrageous over-the-backboard basket in the early exchanges and a highlight first-quarter dunk over two Blazers defenders.
"When Jamal plays with that emotion, that fire, that passion, that brings out the best in Jamal Murray," said Malone.
"He was fantastic. To come on the road, his first time through the playoffs, and have 34 points, five rebounds, four assists, and 11-of-11 from the foul line, that kid is growing up in front of us.
"Going on the road and winning a tough Game 4 in a hostile environment, and for Jamal to be the centrepiece of that is phenomenal."
"Tonight was a must-win game. If I get pushed around or challenged, that's when I take my game to the next level," Murray said.
Asked if he felt pressure at the free throw line during Game 4's final moments, he replied: "No, I mean, my dad and I, we do a lot of training with free throws: blindfolded, he'd be talking to me just like the crowd is, putting pressure on me; so, you take 1,000 free throws in practice just to make one or two in the game. Tonight, it ended up being six."
Speaking at the post-game news conference, Malone reflected on the resilience shown by his young Nuggets squad. "In the closing moments, I really was confident because close games this year we were 13-3 - games decided by three points or fewer, best record in the NBA. We were 12-1 in second nights of back-to-backs - best record in the NBA," he said.
"Our guys are tough. We're resilient. I mean to come in here and win this game, 36 hours after losing in four overtimes, speaks to just how tough we are. You go down 1-3, we all know how that story ends.
So, I think the confidence of doing the same thing in the first round against San Antonio helped us, but our guys stepped up, were never afraid. We stayed together and I can't speak enough about the resiliency and toughness of our team."
Game 5 takes place in Denver in the early hours of Wednesday morning (3:30am), live on Sky Sports Arena.
