Murray takes charge as Nuggets stay alive in playoffs
Jamal Murray scored 42 points and Nikola Jokic had 31 as the Denver Nuggets avoided elimination with a 117-107 victory over the Utah Jazz in game five of their playoff series on Tuesday.
Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets scored 33 of his points in the second half, taking over the game with four minutes to go and the score even at 101-101. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/Mike Ehrmann
Denver looked tired in game three, but they bounced back nicely in games four and five and now trail three games to two in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
Canada’s Murray scored 33 of his points in the second half, taking over the game with four minutes to go and the score even at 101-101.
Michael Porter had 15 points and Jerami Grant added 13 for the Nuggets, who swept the regular season series over the Jazz but couldn’t repeat that in the postseason, which is being played in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.
The Nuggets also figured out how to slow down Donovan Mitchell, who finished with 30 points on Tuesday.
The third-year guard scored a career-high 57 points in the overtime loss in game one and was averaging 39.5 points heading into game five.
Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson had 17 points each, and Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 12 rebounds for Utah. Joe Ingles added 13 points, and Royce O’Neale scored 10.
With 80 seconds to go in the fourth, Murray drained a step back jumper to put the Nuggets ahead 110-101.
Mitchell knocked down a three-pointer with 18 seconds left, but Grant helped seal the victory by hitting four free throws in the final 14 seconds.
