Jamal Murray hit a walk-off shot from the baseline to cap off a 20-point comeback from the Denver Nuggets against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night. Two minutes into the second half, the Lakers held a 68-48 lead, but the Nuggets made a strong recovery to force a tie with 30 seconds left. 

LeBron James missed a jump shot to give Los Angeles the lead, and Murray ran down the court to hit the game-winning buzzer-beater.

Murray went 6/8 for 14 points in the fourth quarter, but before his final shot, it was somewhat of an off-night for the All-Star. By the end of the game, he had shot 9/24 from the floor and finished with 20 points, three rebounds and five assists.

“I told my teammates when I was struggling, ‘I’m going to look for y’all,’ and every single one of them told me to keep shooting,” Murray said postgame. “They told me to stay aggressive and keep looking for it, keep hunting, and when I had the ball with two seconds left, I knew once I had made a couple, the next one should go down, as well.”

Aside from Murray’s game-winner, Nikola Jokic led Denver for most of the night. The presumptive league MVP finished with 27 points, 20 rebounds and ten assists. His stat line ties Wilt Chamberlain for the most 20/20/10 triple-doubles in a playoff game in NBA history. His four times reaching the mark are also the four most recent occurrences, the last time before Jokic came 20 years ago from Kevin Garnett in 2004.

Denver outscored Los Angeles 57-40 in the second half. James finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists, while D’Angelo Russell had 23 points, three rebounds and six assists. Anthony Davis ended the game with a team-high 32 points and 11 rebounds after a near-perfect 11/12 start in the first half but went on to shoot only 3/7 the remainder of the night.

Davis was also in foul trouble for much of the second half, some of which came from calls the Lakers saw as questionable. Los Angeles finished Game 2 shooting four fewer free throws than Denver, but it had a 19-6 advantage in that department in Game 1.

Following the Game, James and Davis walked out of their postgame press conferences, with James heavily criticizing the officials and replay center.

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James said. “D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on a drive,” James said. “What the f— do we have a replay center for if it’s going to go [like that]? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Russell also posted comments about the third-quarter call that was initially ruled a shooting foul in favor of the Lakers but overturned after a Nuggets challenge. The Lakers shot 48.7% as a team on the night, but much of that came from James, Davis and Russell, as the rest of their roster combined for 7/24 shooting. Similarly, Denver only shot 44.3% as a team on 13/35 from their supporting cast but ended the game making seven straight makes.

Denver leads 2-0 as the series moves to Los Angeles. The game will be held on Thursday night.

The Denver Nuggets’ 109-94 victory on the road Wednesday night against the Miami Heat may one day be remembered as the game that effectively ended the series. Though Miami still has a puncher’s chance, the team seems to have finally discovered a superior heavyweight.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is not the first star this Heat team has faced in its Cinderella run to the Finals, but he may be the first one to render them stymied. In three games, including a hard-fought Miami win in Game 2, Jokic is nearly averaging a triple-double with 33.3 points, 14 rebounds and 9.3 assists per night.

While Miami has struggled to contain Denver’s main threat, other Nuggets players have found opportunities as well. In addition to Jokic’s Game 3 triple-double, teammate Jamal Murray earned on of his own with a team-leading 34 points.

Heat star Jimmy Butler, who scored 28 points of his own to continue a stellar postseason, attributed his team’s loss to a lack of initiative.

“We feel great. We didn’t play our best. I feel like we just got to come out with more energy and effort, and that’s correctible,” Butler said.

But while Butler’s statement may be true, it does not address the issue that two Nuggets players combined forces to score 66 points on the road. Jokic, in particular, has been a headache for Miami all series, as head coach Erik Spoelstra inadvertently revealed when he lashed out at an ESPN reporter for asking a question about containing the Nuggets star.

In order for the Heat to win Game 2, the team required stellar performances from several role players, namely Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Duncan Robinson. Beyond Butler and Bam Adebayo, however, there are no consistent performers on Miami’s roster to combat Denver’s defense. Even on a night when everyone stepped up, the Heat only won by three. The other two games have ended in decisive defeat.

Sometimes, the lack of a satisfactory explanation is simply the result of a harsher truth. In this case, it’s inescapable that the Nuggets are simply better than the Heat. Miami players will not, and probably should not, acknowledge this as they take the floor in future games, but it may only become more evident as the series carries on.

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee. The injury is considered to be very serious and the star guard will be out indefinitely.

It’s always a bad a sign when a player suffers a non-contact injury. Murray went down during Denver’s 116-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. After falling to the floor, Murray writhed in pain, holding his left knee immediately. He was visibly very upset, pounding the court with his hand after falling during an attempt to pass two Warrior defenders on a drive to the hoop.

Nuggets coach Mike Malone immediately checked on his star point guard. After seeing Murray, Malone yelled for more medical help. A wheelchair was brought out by the medical staff, but Murray’s pride prevented him from using the assistance. Instead, he hopped off the court with the help of two staff members, while attempting to forego any weight on the injured leg.

The 24-year-old guard has been plagued by injuries all season long. Every time he seems to recover, he aggravates a previous injury or suffers a new ailment altogether.

Murray is averaging 21.2 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. The Nuggets had won 17 of their previous 20 contests before dropping their last two outings.

The Nuggets were considered to be on of the favorites to advance to the NBA Finals this season. However, if Murray is still sidelined by the time the postseason begins, you can pretty much kiss Denver’s chances goodbye.

Until Murray returns, Monte Morris, Aaron Gordon and Facundo Campazzo should see extended minutes.

Let’s take a look at the top NBA DFS options on DraftKings for tonight’s six-game slate starting at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Point Guard

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets (DK: $8,400) Vs. WAS

Murray has kicked his game into a higher gear over the last few games. After starting the season relatively slow, the young point guard has simply been on fire over his last four games, averaging 56.2 fantasy points per game. Murray dropped 50 points against the Cavs last week and over that four-game stretch, he is averaging 34.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Tonight’s opponent — the Washington Wizards — rank first in pace and 24th in defensive efficiency to point guards. The Wizards are also allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards. Fire Murray up with confidence. His hot streak will continue tonight.

Other Options: James Harden, Ja Morant, Michael Carter-Williams

Shooting Guard

Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets (DK: $8,900) Vs. ORL

With Kevin Durant still out due to a hamstring injury, Irving will continue to see an extremely high usage rate along with Harden. The Magic rank 29th in defensive efficiency to opposing shooting guards, which should mean Irving will flourish in this situation. Over the Nets’ seven-game win streak, Irving is averaging 45.7 fantasy points per game, and that’s during a stretch in which he has struggled with his field goal efficiency. Irving hasn’t shot 50 percent from the field in any of his previous three outings. Look for the sharpshooter to get back on track tonight on his way to 30-plus points.

Other Options: Paul George, Joe Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Small Forward

Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans (DK: $7,900) @ MIL

The Pelicans-Bucks matchup has the highest over/under (243) of the six matchups on tonight’s slate. The last time that these two teams met, Ingram produced 39 fantasy points despite the fact that he failed to grab even a single rebound. That surely won’t happen again, as he averages 5.1 over his career. Over his last seven games, Ingram is averaging 42 fantasy points per game. Although there are several solid options at the small forward position, Ingram is a solid contrarian play with immense upside.

Other Options: Kawhi Leonard, Michael Porter Jr., RJ Barrett

Power Forward

Julius Randle, New York Knicks (DK: $9,100) Vs. SAC

Randle came three assists shy of tallying another triple-double during the Knicks’ Tuesday night loss to the Warriors. He has scored 20-plus points in 10 straight games and is averaging a ridiculous 25.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the month of February. It’s no wonder that he was voted into his first All-Star Game this season. The Knicks’ offense runs through the big man, but Randle is playing a different type of basketball than he has ever played before. Although he is still scoring his points, he has been much more of a facilitator and playmaker this season. Look for him to continue to threaten a triple-double night in and night out. The Kings play at a very fast pace and lack the speed and strength to stop Randle down low.

Other Options: Zion Williamson, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke

Center

DeAndre Jordan, Brooklyn Nets (DK: $5,600) vs. ORL

Jordan doesn’t need to do much to return value. The big man can be productive even with limited touches on offense. Jordan has been in and out of the starting lineup as head coach Steve Nash tinkers with the starting unit. However, he started the last two games and is averaging a solid 35.7 fantasy points per game over that span. He blocked four shots in each of his previous two contests and is expected to get the nod at starting center tonight. He may not be the splashiest play, but he is consistent and will be a solid anchor in lineups.

Other Options: Nikola Vucevic, Jonas Valanciunas, Steven Adams

While the NBA has been postponed temporarily due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray made headlines Sunday after a racy video was posted on his Instagram story. Murray claims his account was hacked and proceeded to apologize to his 450,000 followers for an explicit video that allegedly showed Murray receiving oral sex from an unidentified woman.

His girlfriend Harper Hempel was clearly concerned about the video on Sunday when she tweeted, “If you have the video please delete it,” according to the New York Post. Hempel played volleyball at the University of Kentucky while Murray was a member of the basketball team in 2016. Hempel’s account has now been suspended.

Luckily the backlash won’t be as bad because the season is suspended indefinitely and Murray won’t be talking to reporters any time soon. However, if he was hacked it’s just a matter of time before an eventual lawsuit is filed or more information is revealed.

Joel Embiid got the crowd going during the 76ers 97-92 victory over the Nuggets at home on Tuesday. After getting fouled, Embiid fell forward and made a no-look finger roll with his back to the basket. Feeling himself, he strolled over to near center court and gave a little “shimmy” as he egged on the crowd.

Embiid has been known to have a big personality with various ways of celebrating that get the fans pumped up. Prior to Tuesday’s game, Embiid’s outgoing personality had been somewhat quiet this season. When asked about it Embiid responded in a serious tone, “I haven’t done it enough all season. I have not been having fun like usually. just mainly because I am still trying to figure it out, make it work and all that stuff.”

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The Cameroonian-born center finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes. With 15.3 seconds remaining Embiid hit two clutch free throws to put the Sixers up by five. Tobias Harris chipped in with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Sixers have now won three straight and are 13-0 at home.

Embiid’s numbers have taken a dip since last year when he averaged 27.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 blocks per game, but Philly is also working new players into their lineup after adding starters Josh Richardson and Al Horford in the offseason.

“It goes back with me being mature and one of the biggest parts of my game is having fun and by having fun means talking trash, but that part has kind of been cut so I just need to be myself and I guess do whatever I want. Because when I am having fun, I dominate. But this year, I don’t know, I could probably count on one hand how many times I have done it,” Embiid said.

After the game on Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t shy about his opinion of Embiid. “We’re telling you, ‘You can be great. You ain’t playing hard enough.’ Twenty-two ain’t enough to get you to the next level. Do you want to be great or do you want to be good? If you want to be good, keep doing 22 points. You want to be great, give me 28, give me 30. You want to be great, watch Giannis — he wants to be great.”

Denver, on the other hand, is trying to figure out their best rotation. With last year’s draft pick, Michael Porter Jr. finally healthy the Nuggets are trying to figure out his role. Tuesday, their swingman Will Barton lead the team with 26 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. His contribution wasn’t enough to win, however, following the loss of starting point guard Jamal Murray to injury. Murray left the game with seven minutes left in the first quarter after colliding with Ben Simmons. Nikola Jokic had a nice all around game with 15 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, but he needs to do more for this team consistently.

The Nuggets have now lost three straight and five of their last six.

The former Boston Celtics‘ star and Denver Nuggets backup Isaiah Thomas has moved on to join the Washington Wizards on a one-year deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The 30-year-old has suffered through injuries the past few seasons, but believes he can return to his old form with training this offseason.

Thomas has played eight seasons in the NBA and is most famously known for his time with the Celtics. In the 2016-17 season, Thomas averaged 28.9 points a game and was a second-team All-NBA player that season. He suffered a right hip injury that saw him out for more than eight months and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has since moved to the Los Angeles Lakers and to the Nuggets. The Nugs made the second seed in this year’s season and have incredible depth in the back-court, led by Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. Thomas found it difficult to find significant play time, but helped the team the best he could.

“Denver allowed me to take really as much time as I needed to get back to 100 percent health,” Thomas said, according to ESPN. “Obviously, I wanted to play, and I thought I could’ve contributed in the regular season and playoffs, but I understood [coach Mike Malone’s] decision, and I think I contributed in other ways as a leader, as someone who was there to answer the questions of the younger guys. I stayed ready and prepared to play.”

Thomas has played a total of 42 games the past three seasons. He expects to obtain a full offseason of preparation ahead of joining his new team this fall. He joins a team led by John Wall,and is still unsure whether or not Bradley Beal will still be with the team come the new season.

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“When I look at it from the outside, I understood it. I missed 50 games, the team was having a helluva season, and it wasn’t easy to just squeeze me in there when so many guys were playing so well. They didn’t want to mess up what they had going. I understood it.”

In their pursuit of NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, the Denver Nuggets reportedly refused to include Jamal Murray in their trade package to the New Orleans Pelicans, Mike Singer of the Denver Post reports.

Murray, the seventh overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft by the Nuggets out of the University of Kentucky, has become an instrumental part of the Nuggets’ roster, serving as the team’s starting point guard. Murray, along with teammate Nikola Jokic, has also established themselves as the two main components of the Nuggets’ offense this past season. The 22-year-old averaged career highs this season for the Nuggets with 18.2 points per game and 4.8 assists per game on 43.7% shooting including 36.7% from three-point range. It makes sense why the Nuggets, a medium-sized market/organization, value a homegrown talent like Murray so highly.

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No one can deny Murray’s talent, but a player with the skillset of Davis at his size and length comes along maybe once every decade. The Nuggets’ decision to have total faith in their young core, that finished last season at 54-28, second in the Western Conference, before losing in seven games against the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the playoffs, may end up regretting this decision.

What turned the Nuggets off the most in their attempted pursuit of Davis reportedly was their uncertainty that Davis, a free agent after next season, would re-sign with them. In that sense, the decision to hold onto Murray may prove to be the correct one. To summarize, if the Nuggets were able to work out a contract extension with Davis, then every player on their roster not named Jokic is expendable. Without that guarantee though, and the definite possibility that Davis could have walked away from this summer as a free agent and signed elsewhere, the trade becomes too much of a risk for the Nuggets to gamble on.