DENVER — Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has been cleared for Thursday’s playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder despite an illness.
The Nuggets listed Murray as questionable Thursday afternoon, and head coach David Adelman said pregame that he would remain questionable until tip.
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“I found out this morning,” Adelman said of Murray’s illness. “I’m not a doctor. I’ve seen ‘Outbreak.’ He is definitely sick and questionable up to the tip.”
The Nuggets then cleared Murray as available to play in the hour before the 8:30 p.m. ET scheduled tip. Adelman didn’t provide details about the nature of Murray’s illness.
News of Murray’s illness arrived as a late surprise for a Nuggets team on the brink of elimination in the second round of the Western Conference semifinals. The Thunder took a 3-2 lead with a come-from-behind win in Game 5 on Tuesday and can close out the series with a win Thursday night.
Murray’s availability is key for a Nuggets team that’s already been struggling with depth against a deep Thunder that’s been playing with a rotation of 10 players throughout the series. The Nuggets have largely countered with an eight-man rotation with Russell Westbrook getting the bulk of minutes off the Denver bench.
Murray is Denver’s top scorer and playmaker in the backcourt. In the playoffs, Murray’s averaged 22.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 37.8% from 3. His 41.8 minutes per game are the most of any player in the postseason.
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