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Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray was ruled out of the team’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday due to a concussion.
Murray went to the locker room after colliding with Timberwolves forward Julius Randle in the third quarter of the game and didn’t return.
He finished the contest with six points, two rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes on the floor while shooting 2-7 from the field and missing all three of his attempts from behind the arc.
Murray’s potential absence would be a tough blow to a Nuggets team that was already attempting to replace the perimeter scoring of former shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who joined the Orlando Magic in free agency over the offseason.
The 27-year-old wasn’t off to a strong start through Denver’s first four games of the season. Murray averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists per game on 37.9/35.0/90.0 shooting splits heading into Friday’s contest.
Still, he’s shown that he can bounce back from a string of poor shooting performances and his shot-creating ability alongside superstar center Nikola Jokić is crucial to the Nuggets’ offensive efficiency.
While Murray doesn’t have an All-Star nod under his belt in a Western Conference loaded with elite point guards, he’s still averaged 20.5 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from three over his past two seasons.
After helping the Nuggets win their first championship in franchise history during the 2022-23 season, Murray signed a four-year contract extension worth $208 million with Denver on Sept. 7.
If he’s forced to miss time, Russell Westbrook will likely start in his place. Westbrook is recording 9.8 points and 3.8 assists to go along with 1.3 steals per game off the bench this season, but he owns a field-goal percentage of just 27 percent.
Murray’s availability should be clearer leading into the Nuggets’ next contest, a clash with the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
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