Jamal Murray ices Clippers with 43, Nuggets take huge Game 5

DENVER — It was one of the latest snowstorms in Colorado history, an avalanche authored by Jamal Murray, flurrying for 42 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 131–115 Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, to go up 3-2.

The Clippers tried to de-ice the Nuggets by pounding the paint for 62 points, led by Ivica Zubac with 27 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic provided some plowing services with 15 points on three triples.

But there was no answer for Murray’s blizzard. He shot it 26 times and made 17, from distance he was a frigid 8-for-14. It was Murray’s sixth 40-burger in the NBA playoffs.

Russell Westbrook even provided some wind to make Murray’s drifts more daunting and Michael Porter Jr. canceled school. The former Clippers guard and MVP tossed in 21 points, making three from distance as well. The sharp-shooting forward scored 8-for-14 on threes.

Stuck in the storm was Nikola Jokic, who struggled to add points himself, held to 13 on the game, but still notched his 21st triple-double with 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

The Nuggets’ win was wire-to-wire with leads as large as 22. The Clippers started the same lousy group Denver has seemed to figure out, but just upped the pace. Denver came out and clouded the Clippers, going up 17-6 and playing defender Kris Dunn off the floor. Ty Lue resorted to smaller lineups than he had at any point previously in the series. Instead of going inside, the Nuggets stayed way outside and enjoyed the flurry. The final tally from deep was 17 for the Nuggets.

On a night Joker didn’t cook, the bench was able to survive thanks to Westbrook. Returning from a leg injury, he sparked as soon as he touched hardwood. His back-to-back threes in the first quarter set the tone for the Nuggets as they rode Ball Arena’s momentum. Westbrook, Christian Braun and others were very animated. Talking to the Denver fans, the Clippers’ bench, or anyone who would listen.

The Clippers heated up a few times, but the Nuggets just kept dumping it on Los Angeles. David Adelman was so pleased that he only twice asked for timeouts. They cut the Denver lead down to nine in the final moments, but the Nuggets stopped the bleeding earlier than they did in Game 4.

Coming into Tuesday, teams that win Game 5 to go up 3-2 have won 84% of the series in NBA history since 1984. Teams that go up 3-2 in this order are 12-1 during that time; the 2019 Nuggets against the Trailblazers was the one loss.

Game 6 is in Inglewood on Thursday, tipping at 8 p.m. Mountain Time.

Playoff Jamal has arrived.

Jamal Murray in Game 5 vs. the Clippers:

43 PTS | 5 REB | 7 AST | 8 3PM | +17#MileHighPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/HZQDFt8Chf

— Denver Sports 104.3 (@DenSports1043) April 30, 2025