Denver — Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray continued their strong performances during these playoffs. And in the process, they’re raising expectations.
He scored in the first round of their Western Conference Finals matchup against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, a game in which Jokic was dazzled by the strength of his Denver Nuggets teammate, who played despite suffering a painful ear infection.
“Of course he can fake it,” the Nuggets center said after Denver beat the Los Angeles Lakers 132-126. “He didn’t want to train.”
A little comedy to season the chemistry of the relationship.
Opponents didn’t find anything strange about the Murray-Jokic playoff pairing. They are playing their best basketball since the NBA moved the duo into the bubble in 2020. Seven months after that experience, Murray tore the ACL in his left knee and missed the last two postseasons.
Now, Murray and Jokic are back with a show and a brand of two players reminiscent of the John Stockton-Karl Malone era in Utah. But they are after what Stockton and Malone could not find.
They chase championship rings with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan to cement their place among the NBA’s great duos; Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and of course, LeBron and Anthony Davis, who combined for 66 points in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
The Nuggets are one of six teams that have never reached the NBA Finals and are 0-7 in the series with the Lakers in the playoffs. Thanks to Murray and Jokic, they believe they finally have the backing and championship chops to bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy to town.
Coach Michael Malone said, “It seems like for years now, we’ve been a dusty old Rocky Mountain cow town, how little respect we get.” 0 Thursday night. “You can sit and fight and complain about it. Or you can just accept who we are and what we have.”
This disrespect did not diminish, even though the Nuggets were ranked as the best team in the West for the first time, and pundits alternately anointed everyone except Denver as favorites to win the conference.
For everyone who watched Tuesday’s matchup and actually saw Jokic and Murray for the first time, you can see what players and coaches around the league are saying: This wasn’t a fluke, they’re always that good.
