Tag: Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray joins Sixers legend Allen Iverson in NBA Playoff history

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray joins Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson in the playoff record books.

Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson made a huge impact on the game of basketball. Standing at just 6-feet tall, he was able to etch his name as one of the most explosive scorers in the history of basketball on his way to a Hall of Fame career.

On Sunday, Iverson was joined by a young man who is having himself a terrific playoff series.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been absolutely terrific during Denver’s Round 1 series with the Utah Jazz and with his 25 points in the first half in Game 6, he joined Iverson as the only two players in NBA Playoffs history to score 25+ points in three straight halves. Iverson did so in the 2001 semifinals against the Toronto Raptors.

Iverson was able to lead a ragtag Sixers bunch to the NBA Finals in 2001 so it remains to be seen if Murray can have the same type of success with his Nuggets team that faces elimination on Sunday. [lawrence-related id=37291,37266,37281]

The HoopsHype Weekly: Ranking the Top 10 players in the 2020 NBA playoffs so far

We check out the stats and results to determine the Top 10 players so far in the 2019-20 playoffs.

You can get this content every Saturday morning in your email inbox. Click here to subscribe to the HoopsHype Weekly newsletter.

TOP 10 PLAYOFF PERFORMERS: With the playoffs set to resume later today, we decided to rank the Top 10 performers so far in the 2019-20 postseason. Statistics and team results were taken into account. Let’s get to it.

10. Jimmy Butler: He’s not even Miami’s leading scorer in the playoffs (that distinction would belong to Goran Dragic), but there’s no doubt Butler was instrumental in the Heat’s first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers. Not only did the All-Star swingman post a 20/5/4 stat line in four games, his outstanding defense, particularly on the productive TJ Warren, helped Miami cruise to a series victory.

9. Anthony Davis: The Lakers big man leads all playoff participants in average plus/minus at +16.0, and has absolutely dominated Portland’s frontcourt through four games, averaging 26.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. If he keeps up that level of production, L.A. will be awfully hard to stop on their hunt for No. 17.

8. Rudy Gobert: Averaging 17.6 points (on 69.8 percent shooting, no less), 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, Gobert has been a big reason why the Jazz currently have a 3-2 series lead over Denver. In particular, him keeping fellow star big man Nikola Jokic somewhat in check in their matchup has been huge for Utah. Jokic has an average -4.6 plus/minus in the series.

7. LeBron James: After a slow start to his time in the bubble, LeBron has been spectacular in the postseason, especially after Game 1 of L.A.’s matchup against Portland. Overall for the playoffs, James is averaging a 25/10/10 triple-double while shooting nearly 43 percent from beyond the arc, playing the role of creator and still doing his fair share of scoring for the Lakers wonderfully.

6. Jayson Tatum: The No. 9 leading scorer in the postseason at 27 points per game, Tatum took full advantage of Philadelphia being without Ben Simmons and absolutely dominated whoever matched up against him for the Sixers. Boston’s 4-0 sweep of Philadelphia was in large part thanks to Tatum’s excellence in the series.

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo: It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Antetokounmpo, named this season’s Defensive Player of the Year this week, has seen his regular-season greatness carry over into the playoffs. The Greek Freak is averaging 31.3 points, 15.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists against Orlando, obscene marks that should worry every team remaining in Milwaukee’s path.

4. Luka Doncic: Despite a couple of quiet outings against the Clippers, Doncic is still posting a 30/10/9 stat line in the postseason, including a 43-point, 17-rebound, 13-assist performance, which featured a game-winner that will be on highlight reels for the rest of his career.

3. Jamal Murray: The Nuggets guard has had All-Star potential since being drafted by Denver, but he hasn’t quite seemed to put it all together… until now. Murray’s ascension these playoffs has been nothing short of spectacular to behold and the duel he’s been having with the No. 1 player on this list is basketball entertainment at its finest. Through five games, Murray is averaging nearly 31 points while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from deep. Oh, and he’s turned the ball over just seven times over those five games, an impressive feat considering the ball-handling duties he has.

2. Kawhi Leonard: Paul George may be going back and forth between being Playoff P and Pandemic P for the Clippers, but his teammate, Leonard, has been steady as a rock all playoffs long. Leonard is averaging 32.8 points in the postseason (the second-best mark among all players) to go along with 9.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.8 steals. With the level he’s been performing at, Leonard is more than capable of leading the Clippers all the way to a title in his first year with the team.

1. Donovan Mitchell: It was a pretty easy decision choosing the first-place finisher on this list, as Mitchell has been outrageously good since the playoffs began, dropping at least 30 points four times in five games and at least 50 points twice, including a 57-point performance, the third-highest postseason scoring total in league history. Like Murray, it appears Mitchell has used the 2019-20 playoffs to go from being merely a good player into a great one, and it’ll be fascinating to see what he’s able to do if Utah advances to Round 2 over the weekend.

NBA PLAYERS BOYCOTT: Our own Michael Scotto takes you behind the scenes of what went into the Bucks’ decision to boycott their game and the ramifications of it. The boycott (really more of a strike) was a moment that will be talked about for years to come.

ANOTHER TRAGEDY: In the year that just won’t stop, NBA players react to the heartbreaking news about the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, most famous for his role as T’Challa in Black Panther.

Rest in peace, Chadwick, and thank you for sharing your gifts with all of us.

BRODIE RETURNS: Good news for Houston, as Russell Westbrook is ready to return from the quad injury that kept him out of the first four games of the playoffs.

KIDD TO PHILLY? Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd is reportedly quite interested in Philadelphia’s head coaching vacancy.

That could be disastrous considering his strong personality and the ones already in the Sixers’ locker room, but it could also be interesting to see what Kidd, a non-shooting lead guard himself back in the day, might be able to do with Ben Simmons.

SHAKEUP COMING? Speaking of Philadelphia, Michael Scotto talked to coaches and league executives to find out what they think the Sixers should do with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Trade one? Trade both? Trade neither? Tough decisions ahead for Elton Brand and Co.

HIGH PRAISE: Kevin Durant recently made very interesting comments about burgeoning star Luka Doncic, calling the young phenom a (expletive) problem while discussing how refined his game is.

STAT BLAST: LeBron James has scored more points in the playoffs than a lot of memorable players scored in their entire regular-season careers. Don’t believe us? Just look through some of the names here.

MAMBA DAY: In celebration of Mamba Day early this past week, we put together this awesome gallery of Kobe Bryant with every trophy he won in his career, including the Oscar in 2018. We miss you, Mamba.

COVID-19: Pelicans owner Gayle Benson has tested positive for coronavirus, though her symptoms reportedly haven’t been bad enough to require hospitalization. Here’s hoping she gets better soon.

A meaningless Nuggets three-pointer at the buzzer won a bettor $100,000

Wow!

Jamal Murray reached the 50-point mark on Sunday in the Denver Nuggets’ 129-127 loss to the Utah Jazz thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer that was meaningless, given that the Jazz had the game in hand.

But as we know from the sports betting world, sometimes buckets like that aren’t meaningless. And that Murray shot ended up winning someone A LOT of money.

The spread of the game was Jazz minus-3.5 or 4, meaning Utah had to win by 3.5 or 4 points or more, and they were right there at 129-124 with seconds coming off the clock. Then the Murray three happened for a bad beat for many bettors:

Oof. But per BetMGM, one gambler was very happy. From Yahoo Sports:

According to Elisa Richardson, head of communications and public relations at BetMGM, one client had two big bets on the Nuggets at +3.5. One was a $55,000 bet at -110 odds and the other was a $60,000 bet at -120 odds.

That bettor was looking at losing $115,000. Murray’s shot changed the loss to a $100,000 win. That $215,000 swing is inconceivable to most bettors. And surely there were plenty of people with Jazz tickets who were beside themselves, although probably not invested for six figures.

WOW!

[jwplayer SyfnfpBY-q2aasYxh]

Jamal Murray had the best reaction to hearing Donovan Mitchell finished with 57 points

Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell put on a show in Game 1.

I told you these NBA playoffs are going to be a lot of fun and then the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets went out there in the first game today and showed us that yeah, this is going to be sooooooo fun.

The Nuggets missed a buzzer-beater at the end of the fourth before going to overtime where they ran away from the Jazz with a 135-125 win in Game 1.

But the story of this one was the absolute show that Utah’s Donovan Mitchell and Denver’s Jamal Murray put on, especially down the stretch and then in overtime.

Mitchell finished with 57 points (after scoring just two points in the first quarter) and Murray had 36, including 20 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.

Murray had a great reaction to hearing that Mitchell had 57 points in the game:

These two guards were trading buckets down the stretch that had NBA fans in awe on a Monday afternoon in August:

[jwplayer R5wdyDiH-q2aasYxh]

Nuggets’ Jamal Murray confirmed out for contest vs. Thunder on Monday

After being deemed questionable for Monday’s contest, Jamal Murray has been ruled out for the contest.

After being listed by the Denver Nuggets as “questionable” for Monday evening’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder, prior to tip-off, the team officially ruled starting point guard Jamal Murray out for the contest.

Murray joins Will Barton and Gary Harris on the shelf, and the Nuggets will attempt to cool the Thunder without three members of its starting lineup.

As a result, Torrey Craig, Monte Morris and Michael Porteer Jr. will join Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap in the starting unit for the club.

The Nuggets have been dealing with a fair share of injuries, as the club was also forced to compete without their trio in their first seeding game on Saturday. They were soundly defeated by the Miami Heat by a final score of 125-105.

Obviously, on Monday, Billy Donovan — who was named the NBA Coach of the Year by his fellow head coaches — will be hoping for a similar result.

Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton all likely out vs. Thunder

Looking for the fifth consecutive victory in Orlando on Monday, the Thunder will be facing a Nuggets starting unit decimated by injury.

Thus far, for the Thunder, Orlando really has been the “Magic Kingdom.”

After winning its three exhibition games, Oklahoma City began their gamut of eight seeding games with a resounding victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday.

When Chris Paul and co. square off against the Denver Nuggets on Monday, Nikola Jokic’s team will be far from full strength; the Thunder will be looking to make it five in a row.

On Sunday, Nuggets coach Mike Malone declared three of his starters — Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Barton — as “very, very questionable” for the contest. An injury report released by the time after the coach’s comments confirmed that Harris (hip) and Barton (knee) would each miss the contest, while Murray, who is nursing a hamstring issue, is the only one of the three officially listed as questionable.

The three also missed the club’s first seeding game against the Miami Heat on Friday, and if they’re to avoid an 0-2 start to their resumption, they’ll have to defeat a Thunder team that’s only appeared to have gotten stronger as the season has progressed.

The competition will tip-off at 4:00 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on NBATV.

Joel Embiid ranks second on Bleacher Report’s top 15 centers list

Sixers star Joel Embiid has been one of the top centers in the league the past two seasons.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid probably has the most to prove of any All-Star in the Orlando bubble.

It’s not about the lack of rings, but more so the absence of a long playoff run. In two playoff appearances, Embiid has not gone past the second round. Still, he is recognized by many as one of the best at his position.

Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey and Dan Favale released their top 15 centers Friday, and Embiid slotted in at No. 2, right behind Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The debate between Embiid and Jokic isn’t new, with Jokic being more dynamic on offense and Embiid being a better defender.

This season, Embiid has continued to dominate in the low post. At the beginning of the video above, he squared up to the basket well and created space to score against Boston Celtics big man Daniel Theis. According to NBA.com stats, Embiid has led the league in points on post-ups (7.4) this season.

Along with his low-post dominance, Embiid has maintained his reputation for being a good interior defender. He has posted a defensive rating of 101.4 this season, and he has averaged 1.3 blocks a game.

As a playmaking center, Jokic is the better passer. Both players can score at about the same level, and neither is significantly better than the other at rebounding.

With Embiid and Jokic being the focal points of their respective offenses, it  comes down to personal preference in choosing who is better.

Jokic is the hub, but the Nuggets are nearly a by-committee offense, with Will Barton, Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, Jerami Grant and Gary Harris all being viable scoring options.

The Sixers’ offense isn’t as efficient because of their lack of quality spacing. It feeds more on Embiid’s success, and if Embiid doesn’t play well, the rest of the team generally falters.

The Sixers will play their first seeding game Aug. 1 against the Indiana Pacers, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. ET.

[lawrence-related id=34428,34417,34393,34374]

Canadian Connection: RJ Barrett cherished playing against Jamal Murray

Barrett said a highlight of his rookie season was playing against fellow Canadian Jamal Murray.

[jwplayer YjzFCyCT]

New York Knicks rookie R.J. Barrett said a highlight of his rookie season was facing off against fellow Canadian Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets.

Together, Barrett and Murray represent two integral pieces of Canadian basketball and were both set to play in the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Of course, the Olympic Games have since been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Barrett hosted a Q&A on Twitter on Sunday as part of the “NBA Together” campaign and said Murray was his favorite Canadian player to face this season.

“I got to play against Jamal Murray, that was great,” Barrett said. “I remember playing 1-on-1 against him when I was younger and he would always beat up on me. To go up against him in an NBA game was great.”

Barrett recorded nine points, five assists and three steals during his first meeting against Murray on Dec. 5 while he had seven points in the second meeting on Dec. 15 — both of which were losses. Conversely, Murray scored 14 points in each game against the Knicks.

Canada has burst onto the basketball scene in recent memory. The country has produced 16 NBA players, the most from a non-U.S. country ever on opening-night rosters. That number even expands to 20 with the inclusion of two-way contract players.

With Barrett and Murray among the Canadian players in the NBA, the country appears to have a bright future in future competitions once international play continues.

[lawrence-related id=15811,12537,10484]

[vertical-gallery id=11659]

Jamal Murray had the dunk of the year and the refs ruined it with an awful call

Jamal Murray dunked ALL OVER D.J. Wilson.

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray sent his teammates and everyone in the Pepsi Center into absolute hysterics on Monday night with a dunk that was absolutely jaw-dropping.

Well, that is if you weren’t Milwaukee Bucks guard D. J. Wilson, who got a bit of his soul taken away for a few seconds on the play.

Murray took it to the basket and then dunked all over Wilson with a one-handed jam that had all sorts of power behind it.

But then the refs stepped in and ruined all of our fun by calling Murray for charging, which wasn’t the right call at all.

Check out this dunk:

Here’s a different angle:

And a different angle:

Come on, refs!

[jwplayer kjJEHpv4-q2aasYxh]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Denver Nuggets at Charlotte Hornets odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Nuggets at Hornets sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Denver Nuggets (41-20) are in North Carolina on Thursday night for a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets (21-40). The game will get underway at 7 p.m. ET from the Spectrum Center.

We analyze the Nuggets-Hornets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Nuggets at Hornets: Key injuries

Nuggets

  • C Bol Bol (foot) out
  • PF Noah Vonleh (ankle) questionable

Hornets

  • SG Malik Monk (suspension) out
  • PG Devonte’ Graham (ankle) questionable

Nuggets at Hornets: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Nuggets 108, Hornets 100

Moneyline (ML)

The Nuggets are road favorites Thursday night with a moneyline of -500. They’ve been up and down lately, going 6-4 in their last 10 and just 1-2 in their last three games. Charlotte is 2-4 SU in its last six games and hasn’t been favored since Jan. 28.

At home, the Hornets are only 9-20 compared to a very good 17-12 road record for the Nuggets. Charlotte’s last-ranked offense won’t be able to keep up with Denver. Take the NUGGETS (-500) to win outright.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Nuggets returns a profit of $2.00.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Nuggets are 9.5-point favorites two days after being favored by 16 points over the Warriors – a game they lost by 16. Charlotte has actually been the better team against the spread this season with a 30-29-2 mark, while the Nuggets are only 29-29-3 ATS.

The Nuggets and Hornets have the same records ATS on the road and at home, respectively, at 14-14-1, but Denver has only covered in two of its last seven with Charlotte going 4-1 ATS in its last five. Take the HORNETS (-106) to cover.

Over/Under (O/U)

The over/under is a measly 206.5 points in this one. Neither offense ranks in the top half of the league, with Charlotte 30th in the NBA in scoring. Charlotte’s defense is decent, and Denver’s is among the best in the league, which makes this a difficult pick.

The total has gone over in nine of the Nuggets’ last 13 games, including two of the last three. I’m going with the OVER (-115) here.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @camdasilva and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]