As Jamal Murray headed to the bench after recording his fifth 40-point postseason game, he soaked in the admiration of the sold-out Ball Arena crowd.
His other four 40-point playoff outings came in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida, during the 2020 playoffs. This one was different. With 11 seconds remaining, Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave Murray a curtain call as home fans cheered away the final moments of Wednesday’s 122-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves that gave Denver a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.
“It’s nice having a crowd,” Murray said. “They get me going. It’s great energy.”
Murray finished with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting as he went 6-of-10 from 3-point range. Now he has more 40-point playoff games (five) than 40-point regular-season games (four).
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.