After a forgettable first-half performance, Jamal Murray came up big in the clutch for the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night as they took down LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, 108-103, in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. LA simply had no answer for Murray in the fourth quarter as he almost single-handedly carried the Nuggets to a huge win and ultimately, a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is clearly invested in this series. On Friday's episode of his podcast, the former Defensive Player of the Year praised Murray for his heroics in Game 2. It was also at this point that Green revealed the secret weapon the Lakers will need to use in order to prevent another offensive onslaught from Murray:

“What ultimately end up winning the Nuggets the game was Jamal Murray's performance in the fourth quarter,” Green said. ” … This is a Jarred Vanderbilt series. Jarred Vanderbilt has to play minutes.”

Green clearly believes that Vanderbilt's defense against Murray is going to be a key factor for the Lakers the rest of the way. Draymond then addressed Vando's lack of shooting and how some folks might argue that this will hurt LA on the offensive end. According to Green, you just have to take the good with the bad:

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“Maybe it's not the shooting, and maybe it's Jarred Vanderbilt you need in there to take Jamal Murray away, to take Jamal Murray out the game,” Green continued. “Guess what: he had a very tough first quarter. He had a very rough first half. Jarred Vanderbilt played more in the first quarter and the first half. So I actually think this is a Vanderbilt series.

“… It's absolutely necessary that Jarred Vanderbilt plays more minutes. That is what will allow them to better guard Jamal Murray.”

Vanderbilt got the start in Game 2 as he replaced Dennis Schroder in the starting lineup. As Green noted, however, the Lakers opted not to exploit the Vanderbilt-Murray matchup in the second half, and this decision did not work in their favor. It will now be interesting to see if coach Darvin Ham makes the necessary adjustments in Game 3 and if he ends up heeding Green's advice here.