It was about a 50-50 shot that Jamal Murray would play vs the Indiana Pacers, but everyone’s glad he did.
After missing the end of Monday’s game vs the Dallas Mavericks, Murray popped up as questionable on the injury report for Wednesday night with an ankle sprain. Nobody really knew how serious the injury was, but if it held him out of a game, it was serious enough to consider resting for at least one game.
Nope. Try going for 50+ points in a dominant road win instead?
Jamal Murray scored 52 points en route to a 135-120 win over the Pacers on Wednesday, scoring extremely efficiently from all levels. Murray shot 9-of-14 from two-point range, an absurd 10-of-11 from three-point range, and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. The 10 three-pointers are the most Murray’s ever made in an NBA game, and he shot over 90% from behind the arc. Ridiculous.
HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT, JAMAL MURRAY.
52 POINTS.
10–11 FROM DEEP.
19–25 FROM THE FLOOR.Denver grabs the road win & moves to 15-6 on the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xW4uAp3tDy
— NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2025
Once he had the feel of the game though, Murray took off. He got hot in the second quarter and scored 13 points before halftime. Then he had 29 in the second half as he let the threes fly and shimmied around the paint to create shots over the shorter Andrew Nembhard. It was one of his most efficient scoring games ever.
In NBA history, only three players have had multiple road games in their career with 50+ points on 75% or better shooting:
Wilt Chamberlain (3)
Michael Jordan (2)
Jamal Murray (2, including tonight) pic.twitter.com/8bJDaQvd9c— Jake Coyne (@TheStatSquatch) December 4, 2025
Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas each shot efficiently with 14, 11, and nine points respectively. The took the pressure off of Denver’s star duo every now and then. Hardaway and Brown shot a combined 3-of-5 from three, while Valanciunas served as the occasional release valve on pick-and-pop mid-range jumpers.
Defensively, Denver was much better in the first half than the second half, holding Indiana to just 48 points in the first two quarters. That was emphasized by a 32-9 run to end the second quarter in which the Nuggets turned good defense into great offensive possessions.
Peyton Watson and Cam Johnson contributed to that with Watson accumulating three blocks and a steal in the process. Spencer Jones was also good defensively before he suffered what’s hoped to be a minor knee injury in the third quarter.
The Pacers tried their best to come back in the second half with 72 points in the third and fourth quarter combined, but it wasn’t quite enough. Murray’s shooting, some extra trips to the free throw line, and a 17-of-28 night from three-point range as a team helped Denver stay ahead. The Pacers cut it about as close as 13 points, but Denver never let it get any closer.
Denver wins their eighth road game in a row, which is actually a franchise record. What makes it so confusing is that they’ve lost four home games in a row. Perhaps the Nuggets are simply road warriors and get up for tough matchups in hostile environments. Perhaps they need to play 82 road games instead of 41 at home and 41 away.
Whatever the case, Murray continues to make his case for a first All-Star bid. he approached the season with extreme focus, and the numbers are backing up his contributions. The Nuggets are being led by not just one, but two All-Star caliber players this season. We will see if the voters agree.