DENVER (AP) — The Denver Nuggets are concerned about Jamal Murray after the guard sprained his right ankle during a 131-121 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
Murray was injured early in the third quarter. After trudging to the locker room, he returned and finished the period. However, he was not on the bench for the final 12 minutes of Denver’s fourth straight home loss.
Coach David Adelman said Murray will be evaluated Tuesday.
“It’s a huge absence, obviously, on offense. Jamal is a very tough player. If he feels the pain himself, it probably hurts him. I hope he can come back (for the next game),” Adelman said.
Murray was averaging a career-high 24 points entering the game. He finished with ten points and nine assists.
“It was definitely a blow, especially at the end. Everyone knows Mal and (Nikola Jokic’s) lethal pick-and-roll. We definitely struggled,” said Spencer Jones, who scored a career-high 28 points for the Nuggets.
Murray tore his left ACL at the end of the 2020-21 season. He averaged 26.1 points and 7.1 assists during the 2023 postseason, which culminated with Denver winning its first NBA championship.
If Murray is out, he will join fellow starters Aaron Gordon (right hamstring) and Christian Braun (sprained left ankle) on the bench.
Gordon was injured in Houston on Nov. 21 and is not expected to return until late December or early January. Braun sprained his ankle against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 12 and was projected to be out at least six weeks.
Gordon and Braun are two of the team’s best defenders, and their absences have been notable at times.
“I’m not going to come here any night and sit down and talk about the guys that are out. We have enough here to be more consistent defensively,” Adelman said.
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