The Denver Nuggets secured a thrilling 131-126 win against the LA Lakers to climb up to the second seed in the Western Conference.
Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic led the way for the Denver Nuggets as the duo added 54 points in a closely fought game against the injury riddled Lakers.
Despite having the likes of LeBron James and Luka Doncic out of the lineup, the LA Lakers side looked relentless with Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht leading the line for them.
The duo combined for 69 points, but Nuggets’ late game brilliance including a clutch three from Murray helped the team from the Mile High City grab the win.
However, coach Michael Malone was not impressed with his team’s performance and stated they needed to approach the game with urgency after another poor defensive first quarter.
Murray and Jokic took only 32 shots in the game against the Lakers combined, making just over 50% of them.
While Russell Westbrook came off the bench had 16 shots, the star duo need to be shooting more than him.
Speaking in the post-game press conference, Malone said: “To be honest Joker shooting only 16 shots, Jamal shooting only 16 shots, I gotta get those guys more field goal attempts.
“I gotta get those two guys 20-25 shots a game, easy and that’s no disrespect to anybody else, but I mean we need those guys to carry our offensive load.”
Malone was also not pleased with the Nuggets effort in the win against the Lakers, who had their star duo of Doncic-James and other key players out.
“This isn’t a beauty pageant, we don’t get rated on our wins, it’s a win.
“Obviously a lot of things we can be better at, the rebounding 19 for 20 points is a huge concern, we gave another 19 up by turnovers so that’s 39 points we allowed just off of offensive rebounds and turnovers,” added Malone.
Jokic and Murray have played together for the Nuggets just under a decade, but they have already cemented their legacies as all-time greats in franchise history.
Jokic is going for his fourth MVP, but he is also helping the Nuggets earn a top two finish in the Western Conference.
Murray has levelled up since the start of 2025, averaging 22.6 PPG and shooting at an efficient 49.6% from the field and 42% from three point range.
The Canadian has always stepped up for the Nuggets in the playoffs and with Jokic on his side, the duo will be tough to breakdown.
They lost against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round last season, but if Murray can keep his playoff form alive from previous years and Jokic continues dominating, Nuggets could be the team that comes out of the West
