Just over a week ago the Denver Nuggets were all but left for dead following a Game 4 loss to the Utah Jazz. The loss gave Utah a 3-1 series lead, as Denver’s defense struggled to keep up with the Jazz offense.
Although Jamal Murray impressed with 50 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in that contest, many felt the game represented Denver’s last punch in the series. Oh, how things can change in the NBA in a short span.
Led by Murray’s unbelievable performances, the Nuggets have tied the series to force a Game 7. At this point, it appears the only person that can stop Denver’s 23-year-old guard is a cold shooting night, as Murray has routinely torched all of Utah’s perimeter defenders.
Denver’s defense has also tightened up in Games 5 and 6, which has allowed Murray and Nikola Jokić to lead the offense on the other end of the floor.
Utah continues to get impressive shooting from role players and awe-inspiring performances from Donovan Mitchell, who dropped 44 points in Game 6. The duel between Murray and Mitchell has been the talk of the 2020 playoffs up to this point, so it’s only fitting the two players and teams need a Game 7 to decide things.
Here are three key storylines to watch for in Tuesday’s Game 7.
Can Blue Arrow keep it up?
Simply put, there are no more words to describe what Jamal Murray has achieved in this playoff series. Over the past three games, Murray has scored 142 points on 64.2 percent shooting from the field and 63 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Besides two pedestrian performances in Games 2 and 3, Murray has been playing at an All-NBA level this series and has become the focal point of Denver’s offense. The former seventh overall pick in the 2016 Draft has also averaged 6.7 assists per game, showcasing his ability to find the open man as Utah’s defense continues to focus on stopping him.
When Murray is connecting on nine of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc (and 8 of 12 inside the arc), you just have to tip your hat to his difficult shot-making. Murray is more confident than he’s ever been, stepping into pull-up 3-pointers out of the pick-and-roll, using a variety of stepback and side-step moves to get open, and even isolating down the stretch of games.
If Denver can get one more elite performance from Murray in Game 7, they have to like their chances of advancing to the conference semifinals.
How will Harris fare in his second game?
The other big storyline from Game 6 was the bubble debut of Gary Harris. After missing all of Denver’s scrimmages, seeding games and the first five games of this series, Denver’s best perimeter defender returned to play in a game for the first time since March 11.
Although Harris was understandably rusty on offense, he provided another solid defender for head coach Michael Malone to throw at Utah’s ball-handlers. Harris finished +16 in his 21 minutes of action, and although his box score numbers don’t jump off the page, it was clear his ability to fight over screens and use his quick hands to disrupt the Jazz offense in the passing lanes was a significant boost for the Nuggets’ defense.
It remains to be seen just how much Harris’ role will increase in Game 7, but Denver can certainly use his defensive prowess. If Harris can also get into a rhythm spotting up from deep or cutting to the basket on offense, he may just provide the exact boost the Nuggets need to complete the 3-1 series comeback.
Which team will cool down from deep first?
One of the main themes throughout this series (besides the absurd play of Mitchell and Murray) has been the lights-out shooting from both teams. Heading into Game 7, both teams have attempted over 36 3-pointers per game and have converted over 44 percent of those shots!
Utah (44.9 percent on 37.8 attempts per game) has had a slight advantage over Denver (44.3 percent on 36.8 attempts per game) but considering that Utah was already the best 3-point shooting team in the league heading into the playoffs, that isn’t much of a surprise.
The big shock comes from Denver’s offense. After finishing the regular season at 35.9 percent on just 30.6 attempts per game from beyond the arc, the Nuggets have caught fire at the perfect time, using elite shooting to stay in the series and potentially even advance to face the LA Clippers in the conference semifinals.
Led by Murray’s 57.4 percent from deep, nearly all of Denver’s rotation players have connected on at least 40 percent of their 3-point attempts in the series. A key part of Denver’s offense this series has been Jokić’s prowess from deep, as he’s shot 48.8 percent on 6.8 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
One would think that at least one of the teams is due for a cold shooting night at some point. If that happens in Tuesday’s Game 7, it may be a deciding factor in who eventually moves on to the next round.
Tuesday’s Game 7 will tip at 6:30 p.m. MT and will air on ABC (Radio: KKSE 92.5FM).