The Denver Nuggets have struggled a bit after winning eight of their first 10 games, sitting at 14-7 heading into Wednesday’s contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets are 8-6 without point guard Jamal Murray, who has missed significant time with a hamstring injury. Murray did make his return to the court in late November, but missed both games of a back-to-back set as he remains day-to-day with the injury. Here’s the latest on his status for Wednesday’s game.
Jamal Murray injury updates
Update: Murray is officially in for the Nuggets.
Update: Murray is expected to play Wednesday, and he will be on a minutes limit if he does suit up according to head coach Mike Malone. We’ll have an official status on Murray within an hour.
The Nuggets have officially listed Murray as questionable, and he seems like a genuine game-time call. The point guard played 22 minutes in his return and was expected to sit one game of the back-to-back set, but sitting both games does suggest he’s still dealing with some lingering hamstring issues.
Murray is huge for Denver’s success. The Nuggets saw a 6.1-point improvement in offensive rating a year ago when Murray was on the floor, and his defense didn’t impact the team one way or the other when it came to limiting opponents. The offensive rating difference is much smaller this year but that’s largely because of sample size. If Murray plays, the Nuggets are a good bet against LA.
If Murray does not play, Reggie Jackson likely gets the start at point guard. He’s a solid filler option with 13.6 points and 4.5 assists per game, but is a downgrade from Murray. Nikola Jokic would remain the focal point offensively for Denver and is a strong candidate to record a triple-double if Murray doesn’t suit up.