Lakers News: Jamal Murray Reflects On Bonkers Game 2 Fourth Quarter
Through the first three quarters of what an eventual Game 2 victory against your Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray was having a night to forget.
While primarily being hounded on defense by Los Angeles reserve point guard Dennis Schroder, Murray missed 12 of his first 17 shots in the game's first three frames, notching an inefficient 14 points with Denver trailing.
Everything, including probably probably the outcome of this series, changed in a fateful fourth quarter.
Murray got cooking from long range, scoring 23 points in that frame alone. Playing all 12 minutes in the period, Murray shot 6-of-7 from the field (4-of-5 from long range), grabbed three rebounds, and stole the ball twice.
He paid tribute to the ESPN broadcaster analyzing his play after knocking down a key triple.
"Bang!" he exclaimed while pointing to ESPN's Mike Breen, sitting in with fellow commentators Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.
All told, Murray scored 37 points in the contest, grabbed 10 boards, dished out five dimes and nabbed four steals.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes that, per ESPN Stats & Information, the 23-point outburst marked his fourth quarter of scoring 20 or more playoff points, the most since the start of the play-by-play era, which kicked off during the 1997-98 season.
"When I was little, I used to count down the seconds off the shot clock and make the shot and talk like Marv Albert and Mike Breen," Murray reflected postgame, per Youngmisuk. "Just the imagination running as a kid. When you get in that moment and you see your fam in the crowd, see your little brother, see Mike Breen there, all these little reminders, they all pay dividends and make that moment a little more special. Just kind of lock you back in."
"Playing in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers and LeBron James," Murray continued. "It's an amazing opportunity, and it's something you're going to look back in history and remember for the rest of your life."
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