Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray remains on the team's injury report ahead of Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, but the sharp-shooting guard is expected to be back in the lineup.
Murray is listed as probable with an ankle injury, a good sign that he'll return after missing Tuesday's Nuggets win over the Chicago Bulls.
Murray has already missed 14 games this season due to injuries to his hamstring and ankle. After missing 11 consecutive games in November, Murray's played in four of Denver's last seven games. He was held out of the Bulls game on Tuesday after playing 29 minutes on Monday, his third consecutive game played.
When healthy Murray has looked the same on the court and is a major contributor to the Nuggets. Though his 11 games is a small sample size, the 26-year-old is shooting as efficiently as ever across the board in his seven-year NBA career.
Murray is shooting 46 percent from the field, 45 percent from beyond the arc and a tick over 90 percent on his free throws. He's also averaging a career-high in assists with 6.5 per game after setting it last season with 6.2 per contest in 65 games.
Murray's absence felt
Though Murray is not Denver's best player – that honor goes to some guy named Nikola Jokic – it's hard not to ignore the differences when he is and isn’t on the court.
The Nuggets are 8-3 when he plays this season and 8-6 when he doesn’t. That's not a huge difference, but the lack of having a true No. 2 option without Murray was glaring in some of those games he missed.
Denver has been able to give more looks to Michael Porter Jr. and Reggie Jackson in the wake of Murray being out, but both have shown inconsistencies scoring-wise.
Getting Jamal Murray back to full health is paramount for the Nuggets if they want to defend their title. They can’t win a championship in December, so being cautious with Murray right now is fine. It's always a bonus having him in the lineup though and it appears that's where he'll be Thursday night against the Nets.
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