Jamal Murray was absolutely electric for the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, drawing on the raucuous energy from the home crowd to put up 40 points and lead his team to a 2-0 series lead on Wednesday night.
Murray spoke about his appreciation for the Denver crowd after the team's 122-113 victory over the Wolves at Ball Arena.
“It's nice having a crowd,” Murray said, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez. “They get me going. That fires us up and gives us a lot of life even when we're not playing our best. It's great energy.”
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone echoed Murray's sentiments after the victory.
“Our fans are great. Just to reward him and acknowledge the effort he gave forth,” Malone said of Murray. “He left a piece of him out there tonight. For 39 minutes, he was just so impactful across the board. A passionate, heartfelt performance. The fact he missed the last two postseasons and for him to play at that level.”
It truly was a phenomenal performance from the Canadian, who added three rebounds, five assists and two steals to cap off the excellent performance.
It marked the first time Murray had produced over a 30-point playoff game at Ball Arena — his two 50-point postseason performances were both in the NBA's bubble in Florida in 2020.
It's also the first time the Denver Nuggets have taken a 2-0 series lead under Malone, who knows the team has a lot more to give.
“What we have to do is not be satisfied,” Malone said. “If you're going to be a great team, you've got to be selfish. Let's go up and get Game 3. Let's not be complacent.”
Jamal Murray and the Nuggets will head to Minnesota with a chance to take a commanding 3-0 series lead on Friday night at Target Center.