NBA
Is Jamal Murray playing tonight (May 16) in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals vs the Lakers?
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated16 May 2023
Tonight, the LA Lakers and the Denver Nuggets have Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Denver finished with the West’s best regular season record and that’s why they are the #1 seed. The Lakers’ regular season was not as smooth. They had to earn a spot in the play-in tournament to reach this point. For Denver, they may be missing their star PG tonight. Jamal Murry is questionable to play due to a non-Covid illness.
In Game 6 vs the Phoenix Suns last Thursday, Murray was also listed as questionable for the same non-Covid illness. The 26-year-old was able to play and he had 26/4/4 along with four three-pointers made. Murray has had a few days to rest for tonight’s Game 1, but clearly, he’s still not feeling 100 percent.
NBA betting sites have the Nuggets at (-240) to win Game 1 at home tonight vs the Lakers.
Jamal Murray (illness) listed questionable for Tuesday.
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) May 15, 2023
Jamal Murray is listed as questionable to play in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tonight
Through Denver’s first 11 postseason games in 2023, Jamal Murray is averaging (25.9) points, (5.2) rebounds, (6.5) assists, and (1.3) steals. He’s carried his efficient three-point shooting into the postseason. In the regular season, he shot (.398) percent from deep and is shooting (.395) percent in the playoffs.
Jamal Murray missing Game 1 would not be the end of the world for the Nuggets. However, this far into the postseason, there is a small margin for error. He’s the second-highest scorer and assist man for the Nuggets this postseason. Nikola Jokic would have to carry the team offensively if Murray does miss Game 1 tonight.
In the 2023 postseason, Murray had three games with 30+ points and one game with 40+ points. Denver’s health in the past few postseasons has been the team’s biggest weakness. Staying healthy in the postseason can be just as important as how well the team is playing. There is still time for Murray to come off the injury report. Game 1 does not tip off until 8:30 pm EST on ESPN.
