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Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets is having the best season of his NBA career.
The NBA has acknowledged that referees missed a call on Jamal Murray late in the Denver Nuggets‘ close loss to the Orlando Magic last Saturday. The mistake might have cost the Nuggets a chance to win the game.
According to the NBA’s L2M Report for Orlando’s 127-126 win over Denver at the Kia Center, the referees made just one mistake in the last two minutes. It came at an awful time for the Nuggets, at least, with just about five seconds remaining.
Anthony Black was found to have extended his arm forward and made illegal contact with Murray, who lost control of the ball in that possession, but the officials made an incorrect non-call. The Nuggets guard recovered the ball and ended up missing the game-winning shot over Black at the buzzer.
The Magic were in the penalty at that point of the game, so if the referees made the right call, Murray would have shot two free throws. He’s shooting 88.7% from the charity stripe this season, which means he could have given Denver a two-point lead.
If that scenario had happened, the Magic would have had plenty of time to get another shot and possibly win the game. Nevertheless, the L2M report showed that referees aren’t perfect, and every team gets affected positively or negatively.
Murray Could Become An All-Star This Season
Jamal Murray is having the best season of his career, averaging 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Murray is shooting 48.9% from the field, 45.7% from 3-point range and 88.7% from the free-throw line. He has stayed healthy this season, so his chances of making his first All-Star Game could happen.
CBS Sports’ John Gonzalez listed Murray as one of nine players who could be first-time All-Stars this season.
“The knock against Murray has always been consistency. He’d flash and then disappear at times during the regular season. This season, in the absence of starters Christian Braun (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring), Murray has been the omnipresent 1A option Joker has always longed to have at his side. If he’s not an All-Star this season, it’s never happening. Justice for Jamal,” Gonzalez wrote.
With the Nuggets sitting third in the West, there’s a good chance for Murray to get named as an All-Star. The new format for the game should pair him with Nikola Jokic as part of Team World.
Paul Pierce Backs Murray to Become All-Star
Speaking on the Ticket & The Truth podcast with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce is confident about Jamal Murray becoming an All-Star. Pierce even doubled down by saying that Murray is the key to a potential championship run for the Nuggets.
“He is looking like Bubble-Jamal Murray – the one we saw in the bubble, where he was on a mission every night. That’s the Jamal they need if they’re trying to get back to the Finals. That’s the Jamal they need if they’re trying to get through OKC. He’s probably the best player in the league who’s never made an All-Star game,” Pierce said, via Basketball Network.
If Murray becomes an All-Star, he’ll be the first active one to play with Nikola Jokic in the same season.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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