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Jamal Murray scored final 12 points of Game 2, the second-most consecutive points to end a CF or NBA Finals win

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated19 May 2023

Nuggets Jamal Murray scored final 12 points of Game 2, the second-most consecutive points to end a CF or NBA Finals win

Jamal Murray scored the final 12 points in the Denver Nuggets’ 108-103 win against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, the second-most consecutive points scored for a team to end a conference finals or NBA Finals win.

LeBron James recorded the final 25 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 ECF. In Thursday night’s win, Murray posted 37 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals in 43 minutes of action. Plus, the sixth-year guard shot 11-of-24 (45.8%) from the field and 6-of-14 (42.9%) outside the arc.

According to a few NBA betting sites, Jamal Murray and the Nuggets have second-shortest odds to win the championship. Sportsbooks still show better odds for the Boston Celtics.

Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2. It was his fourth career 20-point fourth quarter in the playoffs, the most of any player over the last 25 years. Denver outscored the Lakers 32-24 in the final frame.

Murray missed 12 of his 17 shots and tallied 14 points through three quarters, but he shot 6-of-7 in the fourth, including four 3-pointers. The Nuggets went on a 15-1 run during this span as well.

“I love Jamal Murray. This is not just like I’m coaching him,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “We’ve been together for seven years. … And to see him back, playing at the level he’s playing at, the first thought for me is just tremendous pride, and I’m just so happy for him.”

Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2; it was his fourth career 20-point fourth quarter in the playoffs, the most of any player over the last 25 years

Nikola Jokic added 23 points, 17 boards, and 12 assists. Jokic is the first player with four straight 20-point triple-doubles in NBA postseason history. “Even when we win, they talk about the other team,” Murray said. “It just fuels us a little more, and it’ll be sweeter when we win the chip.”

The Nuggets improved to an NBA-best 41-8 at home, including 8-0 in the playoffs. However, Game 3 is Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, where LeBron James and the Lakers are 8-0 this postseason. Malone shared Murray’s sentiments.

“You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers,” Malone mentioned. “Let’s be honest, the national narrative was, ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’ No one talked about how Nikola just had an historic performance. He’s got 13 [playoff] triple-doubles now, third all time. What he’s doing is just incredible.

“But their narrative wasn’t about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn’t about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments. So you know, you put that in your pipe and you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we’re gonna go up 2-0.”

Through 13 starts this postseason, Jamal Murray is averaging 27.2 points, 5.5 boards, 6.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 38.6 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 47.1% from the field and 40.8% from 3-point range.

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