While dealing with apparent inflammation in his left knee, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, over his last two games, scored seven and 17 points heading into Tuesday's contest against the Dallas Mavericks.
Hall of Famer and Inside the NBA analyst Shaquille O'Neal wanted more from Murray. During TNT's pregame show, Shaq implored Murray to play better if the Nuggets, winners of the NBA title during the 2022-23 season, want to return to the promised land.
"Mr. Murray, where have you been?" - Shaq in pregame 👀
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 15, 2025
"If he plays like this, along with Westbrook & The Joker, they will be champions" - Shaq after Jamal dropped 32pts in H1 😳 pic.twitter.com/zQ6ED6Xdeb
Well, all Murray did was go out and score 45 points, chipping in six assists, two steals and two rebounds in 37 minutes to lead Denver to a 118-99 victory. After the game, Murray was told of Shaq's "get to work" comment, to which he replied, "I agree 100%."
"He's 100% right" 🤝
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 15, 2025
Jamal Murray reacts to Shaq's pregame comments telling him to "Get to work" 👀 pic.twitter.com/i7VPlWIcNl
"When there's games like this, when I'm on, there's nothing to worry about," Murray said. "That's the sense of the group. When Jok's [Nikola Jokic] going, it's like 'Ok, he's going, he's going.'
"But I feel like—and the team feels like—when I'm going, there's nothing to worry about. We just gotta play defense. And he's 100 percent right. I need to play my best. I need to play better. I played terrible up until today and I've struggled."
After the game, Shaq explained that he criticized Murray because "he's a dog," adding that he was happy the Nuggets star played so well.
In 33 games this season, Murray is averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 38.1 percent from the three-point line.
More of the Latest Around the NBA
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jamal Murray Had Three-Word Reaction to Shaq's Blunt Message After 45-Point Game.
