Nuggets get huge boost, Jamal Murray returns from injury

The Denver Nuggets are getting a huge boost, Jamal Murray is back and will play against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

Murray missed 12 games with a hamstring injury, which kept him out most of November. The Nuggets went 7-5 without their point guard during a road-heavy portion of their schedule and sit at 12-6 on the season.

The Nuggets have outscored opponents by 7.4 points per 100 possessions when Murray and Nikola Jokic share the court this season, per @ESPNStatsInfo.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 30, 2023

Officially Murray is questionable to return but head coach Michael Malone said he will warm up with the intent to play.

This is a pivotal regular season for Murray, who has proven “it” over and over again in the postseason but has yet to have any regular season awards. The importance of those honors are big for Murray, who is again extension-eligible at season’s end. Not only was the Blue Arrow seeking an All-Star Game for his own ambitions, but the end-of-season awards tie into the qualifications for a supermax contract. Murray needs to play in at least 65 games, or can only miss five more games the rest of the way, in order to be eligible for All-NBA honors.

Murray sparked the Nuggets last spring by averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 20 playoff games, which led Denver to a first title.

Without Murray, the Nuggets turned to veteran Reggie Jackson. The veteran guard had an insane game in Los Angeles on Monday night, beating the Clippers.

Muray’s missing of about a month likely cost the Nuggets a real shot at the In-Season Tournament, which means they’ll face the Clippers and Rockets once more in the coming weeks in normal regular season games. Wednesday’s matchup has a bit of meaning, as Denver has just dropped two on the road to Houston without Murray. Aaron Gordon is likely to miss while Nikola Jokic is on the injury report but is expected to play.