How Jamal Murray "made a shot" again to beat the Lakers

You just knew Jamal Murray was going to take the shot.

And you knew he was going to make it.

With the score tied at 106 with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Monday’s Game 5, Murray had the ball in his hands with the game on the line…again.

Like he did at the end of Game 2, Murray again delivered.

His 14-foot pull-up leaning jump shot beat the Lakers and sent the Nuggets to the second round of the playoffs. In the end, it was a five-game gentleman’s sweep of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Co.

“The kid is a warrior,” Michael Malone said. “The bigger the moment, the kid just continues to shine. I’m proud of him.”

Murray almost didn’t play in Game 5. After suffering a calf injury in the Nuggets’ Game 4 loss, Murray was questionable heading into Monday night’s matchup. Murray briefly warmed up around 45 minutes before tip-off but barely shot the ball.

The Nuggets’ medical staff even told Murray not to play. He didn’t listen.

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I wasn’t able to play in this game,” Murray said.

Ultimately, he turned in his best outing of the first round. Murray finished with 32 points, 7 assists, and shot 5-10 from 3-point range. He scored or assisted on nine of the Nuggets’ 11 fourth-quarter baskets

“Undeniable,” Peyton Watson said describing Murray. “When it matters, I think he’s the best point guard in the game.”

Murray was the Nugges’ hero again, but Michael Porter Jr. was also stellar. Porter has leveled up in these playoffs. He’s matured. He’s now a proven playoff performer, and his 26 points on 8-12 shooting were massive. Porter also tied for a team-high in minutes with 46.

Nikola Jokic wasn’t his best in Game 5. He was sloppy with the ball, turning it over seven times. He was still a monster in the box score though. Jokic finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.

He currently leads the playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists.

But with the game on the line, you only wanted the ball in one person’s hands: Murray’s.

That was obvious in the waning moments of Game 5. You just knew he was going to take that shot. You just knew he was going to hit it.

It was another legendary, iconic, magical moment that’s now added to Murray’s already astounding big-shot resume.

As Anthony Davis said after Game 2, “Jamal Murray hit a shot.”

Well, he did it again.