All-Star guard Jamal Murray left Friday night’s 143-103 loss to the New York Knicks with a left ankle injury and did not return, casting fresh uncertainty over a Denver team that has spent most of the season managing one setback after another. Coach David Adelman said the team would assess Murray on Saturday but offered no timetable for his return.
Murray went down after taking contact from a driving OG Anunoby in the lane and stepping back onto the right foot of Nikola Jokic. He grabbed his left ankle immediately and had to be helped off the court by teammate Jonas Valanciunas, grimacing as he hobbled toward the locker room with 1:05 remaining in the first half. It was the same ankle that has troubled him before.
Murray’s exit reshapes an already difficult night
What made the moment more painful was the context. Aaron Gordon had just returned from a hamstring injury, and Cam Johnson was back from a sprained right ankle. For a brief stretch, Denver finally looked whole. The Knicks made sure the reunion did not go smoothly. New York led 65-42 at halftime and kept building from there, eventually winning by 40 in what stands as the worst home loss of Jokic’s professional career at Ball Arena.
While Murray was down on the floor, Knicks coach Mike Brown challenged the blocking foul called on Anunoby. The challenge was upheld, the call was reversed, and Anunoby converted both free throws. Murray was assessed the foul. It was a small detail in a game that had already gotten away from Denver, but it captured the tone of the night.
Jokic finished with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, which under any other circumstance would have been the story. Friday night, it barely registered.
Adelman on a season defined by bad timing
Adelman did not hide his frustration after the game. The Nuggets have cycled through injuries all season, and every time the roster approaches something resembling its intended form, another setback arrives. He acknowledged that Denver needs to play considerably better regardless of who is or is not available when the team faces Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Gordon’s performance against the Knicks reflected exactly how much rust can accumulate during a long absence. He finished with 3 points in 21 minutes on 1-of-7 shooting. The sample size is too small to draw conclusions, but the Nuggets need him closer to his pre-injury level if they intend to be competitive in the postseason, which begins next month.
What Murray’s injury means for Denver’s stretch run
Murray was named an All-Star this season for the first time in his nine-year career. His availability for the remainder of the regular season, and more importantly the playoffs, is now the central question hovering over Denver. The Nuggets finished Friday at 39-25, and while they remain in the Western Conference picture, the margin for error tightens considerably without Murray running the offense alongside Jokic.
Whether this is a short absence or something longer will become clearer over the weekend. Murray has a history of returning relatively quickly from ankle sprains, and Adelman noted as much after the game. But the timing, arriving just as the full lineup finally took the floor together, makes it particularly difficult to absorb.
Denver’s next game is Sunday against Oklahoma City.
