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The Denver Nuggets will likely be without their lead ball-handler in their first game after Michael Malone's firing. Jamal Murray is doubtful for Wednesday's road matchup with the Sacramento Kings due to right hamstring inflammation.
Murray has missed five straight games due to his hamstring ailment. The Nuggets listed him as questionable for Sunday's 125-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers before ruling him out. A doubtful tag for Wednesday's matchup indicates a potential setback.
“Jamal’s hurt. It’s not (being) careful. He’s hurt… This has been a weird one,” Malone told the Associated Press on Sunday. “It was day-to-day, day-to-day. The next thing you know it’s not day-to-day. So, obviously a big loss for us. But we have more than enough. We’ve shown that time and time again in that locker room. So, if Jamal is unable to go, we need other guys to step up and play desperate and play urgent.”
The now-fired head coach added that the team hopes Murray will be back for the playoffs.
Jamal Murray tending to hamstring injury as Nuggets fight to avoid play-in
Murray has finished the season strong after a rough start, averaging 24.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists on 51/42/93 shooting splits over his last 33 appearances. However, Denver has posted a 10-13 record over its previous 23 games with Murray, Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon battling injuries. During that span, Malone's squad ranks 17th in offense, 22nd in defense and 21st in net rating (-2.1).
The Nuggets have lost their last four games in Murray's absence, leading to Malone's stunning firing on Tuesday. Following the skid, Denver holds the same record as the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies (47-32) but sits in fifth place due to tiebreakers. All four teams are one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in third with three remaining.
If the season ended today, the Nuggets would face the Clippers in the 4-5 matchup ahead of a likely second-round meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
David Adelman, Malone's lead assistant, will attempt to right the ship as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Following the Kings matchup, Denver will face the Grizzlies on Friday in a pivotal seeding game before closing the season on the road against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Sacramento has won three straight games following a 4-12 stretch entering Wednesday's matchup.
