The Denver Nuggets came up short after a 92-87 outing in Game 4 of the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although this loss has raised some concerns for the Nuggets among media personnel, Nuggets star Jamal Murray remained extremely confident about the upcoming games in the series.
“It’s best out of three,” said Murray, fetching questions about the performance in the game and concerns for the remainder of the series. “It’s not a funeral, guys. It’s best out of three. We lost the game. Onto the next.”
As an NBA champion, it is hard to overlook what Murray has achieved. Having been to the dance before, the guard is well aware of postseason demands. A loss against the No. 1 seed does require some coming back from. However, the resilience of a championship side cannot be underestimated in such a situation.
Game 4 was a troublesome one for both teams. With a 36-hour turnaround time from Game 3, both teams were particularly exhausted. An OT thriller saw the Nuggets win Game 3. However, the fatigue was telling.
Denver shot 31.3% from the field while shooting 24.1% from beyond the arc. This poor shooting display saw the Nuggets’ star duo of Murray and Nikola Jokic combine for an atrocious 12-37 from the field.
Murray has already been facing some stout defense with Thunder forward Lu Dort as his primary marker. Although he had managed to find a way past Dort in Game 3 to notch 27 points on the night, the Nuggets guard failed to find the same form on Sunday night.
With 17 points in Game 4, Murray joined the list of fairly average performers from Denver’s roster. Jokic continued to lead the scoring effort with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals. The three assists credited to the Serbian big man are a critical depiction of how much the team struggled to get their shots into the basket.
While both teams were visibly fatigued, OKC simply managed to bounce back quicker. Owing to being a younger team, the Thunder saw marginally better production from its players. With more significant contributors off the bench, the starters could also afford to have relatively forgettable performances.
This series has been relatively even for the most part. Although a blowout loss in Game 2 should have been indicative of a larger difference in productivity, the Nuggets have managed to hang tough behind some exceptionally persistent performances by their players.
The problems associated with the varying degrees of physicality and the way the games are being officiated are becoming a more common complaint from the Nuggets. Head coach David Adelman addressed this matter to shed light on the number of fouls not being called on Jokic.
While this aspect of the game remains purely subjective, both teams will be vying to take control of the series in Game 5 by overcoming it. With the future in the playoffs at stake, the upcoming game is poised to be a battle.
