JAMAL MURRAY Jamal Murray recorded a career-high 38 points (14-19 FG, 4-6 3FG, 6-6 FT), five rebounds and six assists tonight … Murray now has six 30+ point games this season, the most of any Nugget … His six 30 point games this season are the most among all players under 21. Since the start of the 2001-02 season, Jamal Murray, Anthony Davis, Karl Anthony-Towns, Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and LeBron James are the only first or second-year players to post 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 2+ assists in back-to-back games. Jamal Murray joins Stephen Curry (11/19/17 at BRK) as the only two players this season to post 38+ points, 5+ rebounds and 6+ assists in under 34 minutes of play. He is just the 11th Nugget in team history to have 38 points, five rebounds and six assists in a game and he joins Fat Lever as the only two to accomplish in under 34 minutes … He is the first ever Nugget to reach 38/5/6 while shooting at least 73% from the field. He is the first Nugget since Carmelo Anthony in 2010-11 to have 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 2+ assists in back-to-back games and just the ninth player in team history to do so. INDIVIDUAL Nikola Jokic posted his 17th double-double this season with 16 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes. It is his second straight double-double and his third in his last four games … This is the third time this season that he has recorded 16+ points, 12+ rebounds and 5+ assists in 33 minutes or less. Jusuf Nurkic finished with his 11th double-double of the year with 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-6 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, two steals and three blocks in 27 minutes … This is the fourth time in Nurkic’s career with 19+ points, 12+ rebounds and 3+ blocks … Portland had won their last seven games when Nurkic gets 12+ rebounds. TEAM The Nuggets beat Portland tonight for the second straight time this season, bringing their record to 24-23 on the year … With the win tonight, the Nuggets have beaten Portland for just the fourth time in their last 19 meetings since the 2013-14 season. Tonight was the 25th time a Nugget has scored 38+ points in a game since the 2008-09 season. Denver is 20-5 in those games. Denver is now 13-4 this season when Nikola Jokic records a double-double. The Nuggets tied a season high in free throws made with 26. Denver ended the game on an 18-8 run, making their last 10 free throws. The Nuggets shot 34-83 (.410) from the field, making it the eighth straight game they have been outshot. Portland was 36-85 (.424) from the field. Denver started Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Will Barton, Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee, making it their sixth straight game with a different lineup.
POSTGAME QUOTES Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers Monday, January 22, 2018 Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone: On Jamal Murray and the game: “He was amazing. You know what’s great about it? It was all game long and the key moment was down the stretch, he wanted the ball. Here’s a young kid - he’s 20 years old - going against an all-star in Damian Lillard, not afraid of the moment, lots of confidence and he wasn’t the only one. I just told our guys, Will Barton struggled to make shots tonight, but makes big free throws down the stretch. Gary Harris struggled to make shots tonight but did a great job guarding CJ McCollum. I thought our defense was great. Second half we took care of the basketball. First half, obviously 18 points off of 10 turnovers. When we defend and we take care of the basketball, we give ourselves a chance and we all know this is a game we needed to feel good about ourselves.” On the Nuggets’ offensive tempo: “I thought it was pretty good. Jamal [Murray] was doing a really good job at trying to create that base. I think early in the game, we got off to a great start but we let [Portland] right back into the game, it was a game of runs for most of the game. I think Jamal is doing a really great job at playing with pace and Nikola [Jokic] is getting out and running. All around, I thought it was a great effort and I’m proud of our guys. That’s a division opponent, a team we are competing with for the playoffs and more importantly, we just needed to win to kind of calm things down, relax a little bit and feel good about ourselves. We’ll take tomorrow off and get ready for New York on the following day.” On change in the starting lineup: “I think it went pretty well, obviously we got the win. It was just a situation where, after last year, Wilson Chandler had a career best year, 16 points a game and played great for us. A lot of those times he was coming off the bench. My message to him was quite simply, in that starting lineup, it’s hard for me to get you shots because I’m trying to get all of these other guys shots. I think if I bring you off the bench, I can make you more of a focal point and get you a post-up if you’re guarding the small or just call more plays for you. I thought he was good tonight. With Will Barton in the starting lineup, that gives you three attacking players in Jamal, Gary and he and I thought it was effective tonight.” Denver Nuggets Guard Jamal Murray: On what Coach Malone said to him after the game: “He was just proud of me. I think I did everything he told me to do today. Play with pace, play defense, play my game and it was a win we needed. He had a great energy during shoot around. He was serious but he was light and I think that started off everything for me.” On Nikola Jokic’s body language: “He was a lot better. Just his whole attitude. When he has that kind of attitude it helps everybody. When he gets frustrated, when anybody gets frustrated, they have a tough game. Tonight, he fought through adversity and we needed him to do that. A lot of guys stepped up and made big plays down the stretch and we got an important ‘W’.” On matching up against Damian Lillard: “Just a great matchup. He competes, that’s why I love playing against him. I know I’m going to go at him and he’s going to go at me and that’s when the game is most fun. So guys like him, that always try to prove something, today I tried to prove something too and I love to compete against him. He never stops moving, but I don’t either.” Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic: On the Nuggets offense: “It’s progress I think. It’s a step forward but it’s still not like how we played last year or at the beginning of the season but it’s a step forward. We still need a couple games or a couple days just to get used to playing like that again. I think this is a good style for us because everyone is getting involved, everyone is screaming and jumping and being aggressive.” On his body language and attitude tonight: “I think I was good. I tried to get everyone involved with just the movement and the passing and the screening, just set the right screens, do whatever to get everyone open. I think I did a good job.” On the team’s trust in Jamal Murray down the stretch: “Yeah we go to him two or three times. He missed one 3-point shot that I thought was 100% going in. Then he made one and got one in the end. So, we believe in him, especially when he’s having a game like that.” Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Terry Stotts: On Portland’s looks in the last minute: “I’d have to look at it, but I think they were makeable shots. I think Evan [Turner] had one, CJ [McCollum] had a couple I think, so I thought they were makeable looks. ” On ball security down the stretch: “We had a five, six, seven point lead or whatever and we were loose with the ball. We didn’t do the things that you need to do on the road against a playoff contending team to win a game on the road. Ball security is important, decision making is important.” On the Jamal Murray: “He played terrific. He shot the ball well, a variety of shots, got to the free throw line, he [had] a very impressive performance.” Portland Trail Blazers Guard Damian Lillard On what’s bothersome about this loss: “What bothers me is the most is I have to make that free throw. Every time we get that chance and two could be going up three and we miss the free throws, it seems like they always come down and hit a three or tonight we give up a three point play right back and we leave the door open. I just feel bad about that and I thought the team played a really solid, really good game on the road. We were in position to win. Everybody contributed to us being in that position and I have to be able to shut the door on them. It’s that simple.” On Jusuf Nurkic’s play with 2.6 seconds left: “It might not have been the right play. As soon as I got the ball, I got a catch and I took one dribble and I saw Mason [Plumlee] was getting ready to run at me and, you know, I’ll shoot it from anywhere but the first thing I looked to see was how far I was and I was kind of close to half court so I knew that they would probably matchup with everybody else would not be guarding [Jusuf] Nurkic. I took a couple dribbles to the right and I was going to raise up and shoot it, but when I turned to go up and shoot it I didn’t know where Mason [Plumlee] was. I was going to shoot it and I threw it to him because I knew that much time hadn’t passed and I knew we could get that two, get a foul right away and then [Denver] shoots free throws and then we could try to throw it full court and try to get a shot off of it. Maybe it wasn’t the right play. But then if I let that one fly, we are down three and we foul, we don’t even have a chance at that last one where we might have had a shot at it.” On the play under review at the end of the game: “I mean it’s tough. I thought it was a bang-bang play, tough for the referees to call, but I drove to the rim, I knew I’d be able to get to the rim. I knew the ball was all for me but when they go back and review it, they can’t go back and say that it was a foul. When I was going up, Mason came through my arms and as he came through, the ball went out of bounds. When they went to review it, I knew we were going to be on the wrong side of it because they can’t go back and change a foul.” Portland Trail Blazers Center Jusuf Nurkic: On what sticks out about the loss: “We had a five-point lead and I don’t know, I thought we didn’t execute well. I really don’t know what happened. The last play, I thought Damian [Lillard] had a foul and they reviewed it and gave them the ball back with nine seconds to go. I think it’s our fault. Coach couldn’t get out there and vote for us. We just need to do a better job.” On if it was a different feeling coming back to Denver: “No. Another game, another game.” On the play that was reviewed at the end of the game: “I was right there. I thought [Damian Lillard] got fouled and we had the ball for us. I think they called time out so after review they gave the ball to [Denver]. I think that was with nine seconds to go, but still we had a couple shots. We had a couple shots to make that we didn’t make. We need to be better."
