Nuggets' Jamal Murray Expected to Miss Multiple Games with Hamstring Injury, HC Says
Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray will miss an extended period of time due to a hamstring injury that he suffered in the team's 123-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters that Murray's injury is not a "one or two game injury" and that it's something that will keep him out for "longer than we like", according to Katy Winge of AltitudeTV.
Denver came into Monday night boasting a 6-1 record, putting the team in first place in the Western Conference.
Murray averaged 18.7 points and 8.7 assists per game in six contests before the injury, shooting 43.8 percent from three.
The former first-round pick has recorded 16.9 points and 4.3 assists per game since he was drafted back in 2016, ranking ninth on the franchise's all-time scoring list. His 859 career three-point field goals are the most in Nuggets history.
Murray had dealt with hamstring tightness in training camp, causing him to be a limited participant in several practices prior to the start of the regular season.
However, Malone clarified that the 26-year-old was injured on a particular play and his absence from the rest of the Bulls game not the result of a lingering injury flaring up.
"Specific play," he said, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. "It was in the second quarter, and (Murray) went to push off and just felt something in his hamstring."
Veteran point guard Reggie Jackson will replace Murray in the Nuggets' starting lineup while he recovers.
Jackson has averaged 12.8 points and 4.2 assists per game throughout his 13-year career, spending time with four different teams. He was acquired by Denver in the middle of the 2022-23 season after he was waived by the Charlotte Hornets.
The 33-year-old is averaging 8.4 points each night off the bench this year, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 36 percent from three.
