[https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/1118359869881503745](https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/1118359869881503745)
\^ This was after game two of their first round series against the San Antonio Spurs in 2019. Heading into the fourth quarter, after being down by as many as 19, it looked certain that the Nuggets were about to go down in the series 2-0.
And Jamal was awful. real real bad. He was 0 for 8 in the game. Through the first seven quarters of the series, he shot 8-of-30. Looked like Murray was about to go down in history as a slightly better Emmanuel Mudiay. I actually remember watching the game and hoping that Malone would give Murray’s minutes to Malik Beasley.
But Malone never flinched.
He kept Murray in, kept the ball in Murray’s hands — and Jamal went off for 23 points in the fourth quarter to tie the series 1-1. It was legendary. And it was the genesis of the playoff killer that Murray’s grown into. After the game, Malone tells the media: “I knew in my heart he needed to get these minutes. I needed to show him I believed him. … I needed to stay with Jamal. Make or miss. Because I care about him. … Never once did I think about pulling him from the lineup”
Such great moment! \[Edited to add context to the clip\]
by Eltron_Tornado
6 Comments
wow great food for thought, you may be right
I was at that game. Could go down as the ur-moment for sure. Holy shit the crowd was going absolutely bananas. After that, I never doubted whether Jamal Murray was a true baller. Birth of the best duo in the league.
Having won the whole thing, I now look back fondly on even the losses and heartbreaks. (That Portland series right after, for example.) Because this lionhearted young man actually got to the mountaintop.
Sorry what is ur-moment?
I remember that game day thread. Doomers seething and demanding we trade future World Champion Jamal Murray for Ben Simmons. Then Jamal goes blue arrow and the doomers have to take it to the next game thread. It was glorious.
Ur-Moment sounds like some kind of ancient Sumerian despot.
Unrelated but I was at game 5. The nosebleed section I was sitting in was chanting “WE WANT JUANCHO” the entire game. Dumpster time comes and Moach even points at our section once Juancho goes to check in, we all went crazy. Such a fun experience at a game lol