Jamal Murray out to continue anything-but-routine playoff performances for Denver Nuggets

Some players swear by a pregame snooze or stick to the same meal on gameday, but Jamal Murray is more fluid.

The Nuggets guard, who has ascended from “Bubble Murray” to “Playoff Murray” and lastly “Champ Murray” in his three previous postseasons, doesn’t change his pregame routine ahead of the playoffs. He doesn’t even like to keep his gameday customs all that consistent during the season.

“I have a different take on my routine because I think if something in your routine is off, it messes with you mentally. So, you can kind of take yourself out of it if you focus too much on your routine,” Murray said after Thursday’s practice at Ball Arena. “I like to break up my routine in different spots and places and keep it light and know that it’s going to come down to me doing whatever I’ve got to do or making a shot or whatever. It’s not going to be because I missed my nap or because I didn’t eat whatever I’m supposed to eat, you know what I’m saying? I just try to keep that mental edge with myself.”

It's hard to argue with the results. Murray averaged 21.3 points in the 2018-19 playoffs after putting up 18.3 points per game in the regular season. He was one of the breakout stars of the 2020 bubble, increasing his scoring average from 18.5 in the regular season to 26.5 in the playoff series against the Jazz, Clippers and Lakers. Despite Murray scoring 19 or more points in every game against the Lakers in the conference finals, the eventual champions dispatched Denver in five games.

Murray took it up another level when the Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s conference finals, scoring at least 25 points in every game, including a pair of 37-point performances. He shot 52.7% from the field, 40.5% from 3 and made 95% of his free throws, leading Denver to its first NBA Finals appearance.

“Jamal’s postseason performances, stats, the way he elevates his game is just incredible. I don’t remember a player in recent memory who can, after the regular season, play at that level,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“It’s unfortunate he’s never been an All-Star, but you can’t tell me that Jamal Murray’s not one of the best guards in the NBA, one of the best guards in the world.”

The Finals required a little different approach from Murray. His scoring average dropped more than 10 points from the previous series to just over 21, but he dished out 10 or more assists in the first four games, including a 34-point triple-double in a pivotal Game 3 to reclaim Denver’s home-court advantage. The Nuggets coach couldn’t put his finger on what, if anything, changes in his second star.

“The guy was just a machine,” Malone said. “Maybe he’s more locked in, maybe there’s no back-to-backs. I’m not sure what it is, but what I do know is I love watching Jamal in the postseason, how locked in and engaged he is.”

A similar showing in the first-round rematch against the Lakers would be more than welcome. While Lakers coach Darvin Ham could throw some combination of Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura at Nikola Jokic, the regular starting five doesn’t have a great option to guard Murray. Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell might be the most logical option, but Murray’s dominance last year forced Ham’s hand in removing Russell from the starting lineup for the fourth and final game of the series.

The Nuggets are expecting a fresher, healthier, more motivated and, frankly, better Lakers squad than they faced last postseason. And Murray is embracing the challenge of continuing to be at his best in the biggest moments.

“I just feel like the playoffs are a time you want to see the best players perform. I try to do that every single time. The competition is great. The adrenaline is higher. The minutes are higher,” Murray said.

“The confidence is all the way up there. When they take off the leash like that, it’s fun to just go out there and play my game.”