When Jamal Murray gets going, he’s almost impossible to stop. The Chicago Bulls learned that lesson Friday night as the Nuggets overturned a 15-point deficit in a dramatic 131-127 overtime win.
Murray hit a dramatic buzzer-beating three to force overtime for Denver, capping up a 15-point quarter where he hit three clutch shots from downtown. The 24-year-old heroics in that quarter proved to be the impetus in overtime as he and Nikola Jokić took over to help the Nuggets ice the win.
"Even when you’re not playing your best basketball, you stay with it; that’s what I’m most proud of," Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said after the game.
Murray and Jokic both scored 34 apiece to help seal the comeback for Denver, while Chicago was led by its All-Star Zach LaVine, who had 32.
The Nuggets will now look to seal a 4-1 homestand when they host Zion Williamson and the Pelicans (1:00 p.m. MT, ALTITUDE) before heading back on the road.
Here are the takeaways:
Jamal’s brilliance
The Nuggets appeared to be all-but-done when the Bulls built a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter with less than nine minutes remaining. Then Murray hit three triples – each clutch at the moment he hit them.
There will be a lot of discussion over his late offensive efforts, and rightfully so, but Murray also made several big defensive plays as the Nuggets were trying to rally. The guard had four steals on the night and was quick to react on several of those plays, giving the home team quick transition points.
Unbelievable fourth quarter
Murray will steal the headlines, but several players proved pivotal in the Nuggets’ incredible comeback.
Michael Porter Jr. scored hit a crucial three and had a pair of successive dunks to cut the score to 107-105. The Nuggets’ second-year forward got off to a slow 3 of 9 start but finished brightly with 19 points and six boards.
Facundo Campazzo only scored two points but played 34 minutes – underlining his importance on the other end. Campazzo hounded LaVine whenever he was on him and made almost as big of a play as Murray did at the end of the fourth quarter, making a huge steal on the Bulls' All-Star with 26.2 seconds remaining.
"I wasn’t thinking, I tried to steal the ball. I remember Jamal [Murray] told me to try to steal the ball. I told him I will try. He didn’t look at the ball, so I just go for the steal. After that, he fouled me," Campazzo said. "I’m an emotional guy, passionate guy, I follow my emotions in the game. I think I did that in that moment. I followed my heart and my intensity."
The Argentine reserve also added eight assists to zero turnovers. It’s another strong outing for the 5-foot-11 guard who appears to have found a comfort level in March.
The Joker powers through
It was Jokić’s absurd assist to Murray that gave the Nuggets’ lead guard to send the game to overtime. It proves the incredible chemistry and synergy the two men have developed in their time together in the Mile High Basketball. The Nuggets center was also dominant in the team’s victory.
"For five years now, especially the last three, we’ve seen that relationship just blossom," Malone said. "I don’t know how many other two-man combos are as lethal in clutch situations as Jamal and Nikola are."
With most of the Nuggets struggling to find their best in the opening 24 minutes, it was Jokić who kept them within distance. The 26-year-old scored 19 of his final tally in the opening three quarters, before proving clutch in the fourth quarter and overtimes. In those final two quarters, Jokić scored 15. His three-pointer with 37.2 seconds remaining in the fourth gave the Nuggets life after it appeared as if the Bulls would on to win after Coby White’s jump shot gave the Bulls a six-point lead.