Lakers Injury Report: Jamal Murray's Status Revealed For LA-Denver Game 5

Will Denver's lethal clutch scorer suit up?

Apr 27, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) drives against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15). / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers will have to face all five of the Denver Nuggets' preferred starters to survive a must-win Game 5 on Monday night, on the road in Ball Arena.

That was no sure thing heading into the night. Point guard Jamal Murray's status had been downgraded to merely questionable due to a left calf strain. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Murray will indeed suit up. His colleague Dave McMenamin shared footage of Murray going through warmups while wearing a massive wrap on the injured leg.

Jamal Murray getting up shots prior to Game 5 with a heavy wrap on his left leg. His status will be announced in about 30 minutes. pic.twitter.com/hFH3bGTOXf

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 30, 2024

Murray's ability to relieve All-NBA center Nikola Jokic of some of the offensive burden, both as a scorer and passer, has proven absolutely critical for Denver over the team's incredibly successful last few years, including its championship run last spring and summer.

Across his first four contests for Denver in this series, the 6-foot-4 Kentucky product is averaging 21.5 points on .380/.208/.846 shooting splits, 7.3 assists, five rebounds and 1.3 blocks per bout. Those shooting splits are far short of his regular season slash line of .481/.425/.853.

Denver most likely needs Murray healthy to win a second straight championship this year. But can it do enough to beat the Lakers, up 3-1? Time will tell.

More Lakers: Another Long-Hurt Bench Forward Returns, But Will He Play?