Lakers News: Nuggets Star Jamal Murray's Status Downgraded Ahead of WCF Game 1 in Denver

Yet another lucky break for LA?

Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray has seen his status for tomorrow's opening Western Conference Finals bout against your Los Angeles Lakers downgraded.

Per Underdog NBA, Murray is now considered merely questionable to suit up Tuesday at Ball Arena, due to an unspecified illness.

An actual absence for Murray would represent a massive blow for the West's top seed. Murray is the team's second-leading scorer and second-best playmaker behind transcendent superstar center Nikola Jokic. He and Aaron Gordon have been the club's two best non-Jokic players across Denver's playoff run thus far.

Across the first two rounds of the Nuggets' postseason, against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, Murray is averaging 25.9 points on .461/.395/.915 shooting splits, 6.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while playing 38.4 minutes a night. He's already notched four 30+ point scoring nights and one 40-point game.

Following an exciting playoff run in the 2020 bubble, Murray looked poised to take the leap into perennial All-Star territory before being felled by an ACL tear in April 2021. He had to miss the entirety of Denver's 2021-22 season and subsequent playoffs, while starting small forward Michael Porter Jr. also sat out all but 10 games that same year after back issues eventually forced him to get a third surgery on the area.

Now, Murray and Porter (and everyone else) have looked healthy, making the Nuggets perhaps the most intimidating team among the playoffs' final four. Should Murray be sidelined completely or at the very least impacted by his illness while playing, it could give Los Angeles a golden opportunity to at least steal Game 1 on the road. Reserve guard Bruce Brown would most likely get the starting nod if Murray sits.

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