What's Jamal Murray's Injury Status and Timeline to Return to Nuggets After Mavs Loss?
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray suffered a sprained right ankle during Monday's 131-121 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and head coach David Adelman was unsure of whether he will be available for Wednesday's contest against the Indiana Pacers.
"It's a huge absence, obviously, offensively," Adelman said, per Michael Kelly of the Associated Press. "Jamal's such a tough player. If he sits himself because of the pain, it probably hurts. I'm hoping he can come back (for the next game)."
Murray went to the locker room in the third quarter and eventually returned to the game before he was not seen on the bench for the final 12 minutes.
Considering Denver is already without Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) and Christian Braun (left ankle sprain), it can ill-afford to lose its star guard for a significant amount of time. Kelly noted Gordon is expected to return in late December or early January, while Braun was expected to miss at least six weeks when he suffered his injury on Nov. 12.
The Nuggets missed Murray down the stretch of the loss to the Mavericks.
Dallas outscored the home team 29-17 in the final quarter to pull away and win a second consecutive game following a three-game losing streak. With Murray off the floor, it was able to focus more defensive attention on slowing down Nikola Jokić, and the big man was just 10-of-24 from the field despite finishing with a triple-double of 29 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists.
Murray had 10 points and nine assists prior to exiting.
The University of Kentucky product is averaging 23.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor and 41.5 percent from deep this season.
The pick-and-roll with Murray and Jokić is a major part of the Nuggets' attack, so they will have to adapt if the primary ball-handler is sidelined following his setback. Bruce Brown will likely see far more playing time if Murray is out.
