During an event in Abu Dhabi this week, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic made some jokes at the expense of the Lakers. In one specific conversation with an Abu Dhabi representative, Jokic poked fun at the Purple and Gold and exposed their history of getting owned by Jamal Murray.
Nikola Jokic: “Can you shoot?”
Abu Dhabi rep: “I’m not Jamal Murray, but I can shoot a little bit.”
Nikola Jokic: “But just against the Lakers, okay?”
As the NBA offseason comes to a close, NBA stars around the league are making their final preparations for opening night. For Nikola Jokic, it means doing things like this and talking up his teammates whenever he gets the chance. In that regard, Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray has been Jokic’s top guy and co-star for years. They won a championship together in 2023 and after Murray signed a four-year, $208 million extension this summer they are set to maintain their partnership for years to come.
Murray has never made an All-Star team but he’s a pretty solid partner for Jokic and is coming off the 2023-24 season with averages of 21.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 48.1% shooting. He usually steps it up in the playoffs but he always saves his absolute best for the Lakers.
Murray averages 20.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game against the Lake Show in his career and he has been on the winning end of several lopsided series.
In 2023, the Nuggets easily swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and it was their biggest obstacle en route to winning the title. For his part, Murray put up 32.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the series. He and Jokic were unstoppable and crushed any hope of the Lakers making a championship run.
The very next season, the Nuggets met the Lakers once again in the playoffs. This time, it was only in the first round. As the 7th seed, the Lakers hoped to make it a competitive series but the Nuggets won it in 5 games after winning out the first three.
Murray averaged 23.6 points, 7.2 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in the series, including two game-winning buzzer-beaters that secured a pair of wins for his club.
That’s twice now, in two separate series, that Jamal Murray has broken the Lakers’ hearts and crushed their title ambitions. Going into this season, Murray will look to carry that momentum but it’ll be easier said than done.
In the Olympics this summer, Murray was a no-show for Team Canada and his performance was so bad that critics questioned if he was even healthy enough to play. In what should be the prime of his career, Murray is facing more doubts than ever before, especially after the Nuggets’ second-round elimination this past spring.
With new challengers in the West, including the Mavericks, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Lakers, the road will not be easy for Murray, Jokic, and the Nuggets. But they’ve proven before that they have what it takes to pull off something great and if their core players are healthy, it’s impossible to count them out.
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