DENVER — Jamal Murray’s waited to be back in the postseason spotlight since the Bubble.
But before he and the No. 1 seeded Nuggets return there Sunday at 8:30 p.m. for Game 1, he had to address the elephant in the room.
It was two years ago, exactly, that Murray’s left knee crumpled on a drive late in a game at Golden State. Until he was asked about it following Wednesday’s practice, he hadn’t thought about the anniversary.
“Appreciate it,” Murray quipped to a reporter who brought it to his attention.
Murray’s done his best to move beyond the devastating ACL tear that robbed the Nuggets of two golden postseason chances. He said he does his best not to think about his past, tricking his mind into thinking both knees are equally steady.
“Two good legs,” he said confidently.
But as he approaches this version of the playoffs, there’s another injury that he can’t get out of his mind. Murray was dogged by a right thumb sprain the final few weeks of the regular season, and he said it’s still an issue as the team barrels toward the postseason.
“I’m still thinking about it,” Murray said, though he was a full participant in the team’s extended practice.
“I’m full participating,” he said. “It’s just sore. Every catch, every shot, I’m always fiddling with it trying to make it feel better, but it’ll be OK.”
Murray insisted he would be fine even though the sprain is on his shooting hand.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone reinforced Murray’s status.
“He looked good,” Malone said. “Yeah, I mean the thumb is the thumb, unfortunately. I don’t think it’s going to be great at any point. Because as he mentioned, every time he catches the ball, every time somebody hits him in that area, there’s going to be something there. But one thing I know about Jamal Murray, we haven’t seen him in the last two postseasons, but that kid is physically, mentally tough. And if anybody can play through that kind of a nagging injury, definitely will be Jamal.”
When the Nuggets open Sunday, there’s a decent chance Murray will have it taped. But that’s a better option than having him sit.
The only other injury concern was Nikola Jokic, who missed several games late in the season due to calf tightness. Malone assured reporters he went through all of practice and “looked good,” throughout.
Overall, the Nuggets are in as good a place, mentally and physically, as they’ve been heading into a postseason in years. Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are both healthy and capable, which wasn’t the case when Jokic dragged a beleaguered team through the postseason for the last two playoffs.
The team convened for a dinner Tuesday night, not so much to discuss what lay ahead but to relish the path they’ve already carved.
“I think before you look forward you should reflect on what we just did and what we accomplished and take some joy in that,” Malone said. “We’re not satisfied.”
Murray, on the verge of his playoff return, was in a great mood. He said the team feasted on steak and poutine, a Canadian dish that was provided outside of any personal request.
They watched Tuesday’s play-in games as a team, but were only able to eliminate one possible first-round opponent (the Lakers) by virtue of Los Angeles’ win. In lieu of that, multiple players said Wednesday’s practice was about honing in on themselves.
Aaron Gordon praised his team’s preparedness in that they’d all collectively lifted, ate right, slept accordingly and taken care of their bodies for what they all believe could be a special run.
“We set ourselves up for a beautiful opportunity,” Gordon said.
