On Thursday, the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers put on an amazing display of basketball at the highest level. Since both teams are in the tightly contested Western Conference, every game versus conference opponents matters just a bit more.
All-Star guards Jamal Murray and Damian Lillard had quite the duel as the game came down to the wire, as they both scored 14 points each in the 4th.
It looked like Dame Time in Portland was coming down the stretch, with Lillard dropping 40 points on shooting 12-22 from the field (54.5 percent). Lillard hit a clutch three-pointer from the top right corner to put the Blazers up 120-118 with just 8.8 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
However, Murray seemed to have other plans.
As the Nuggets inbounded the ball on their side of the court, Murray used his crafty handling abilities to make enough space in the left corner to get a long-distance shot off over Blazers forward and former teammate Jerami Grant.
As time winded down 3, 2, 1 — Murray delivered a cold-blooded dagger that sealed the Nuggets’ victory over the Trailblazers 121-120.
“I’ve come a long way,” Murray said, per The Athletic.
Postgame, Murray spoke to AltitudeTV about his game-winning shot;
“We just wanted to get the ball in going to Jokic, he fumbled it kinda on the sideline, and he just gave it back. I realized we had a lot of time, so I didn’t have to rush my shot, got to my spot, and made it.”
Murray finished the game with 21 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Just another regular day in the office for the SLAM 230 cover athlete. Murray and the Nuggets look to build on the momentum from Thursday’s win as they return home to Denver to take on the Utah Jazz tomorrow.
