Report: Nuggets' Jamal Murray Out vs. Heat After Suffering Sprained Ankle Injury
March 1, 2024
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray left the team's contest against the Miami Heat on Thursday after suffering a right ankle sprain and was later declared out.
Murray drove to the basket in the second quarter and jumped to pass the ball, landing awkwardly after stepping on teammate Aaron Gordon's foot. The exact severity of his ankle sprain and his status moving forward are both currently unknown.
Prior to his exit, Murray recorded six points and three assists on 2-6 shooting in 14 minutes of action.
The 27-year-old has already been ruled out of 16 games this season, including a stretch of 11 consecutive missed appearances starting on Nov. 6 due to a hamstring injury. The Nuggets have struggled when Murray has been sidelined, owning a record of just 9-7 without him compared to the team's overall mark of 40-19.
He was already dealing with bilateral tibia inflammation, categorized as shin splints, that caused him to miss a couple of games earlier in the month of February. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters on Feb. 23 that "every time he plays it's gonna be an issue," according to John Hollinger of The Athletic.
Denver will be hoping that Murray's injury isn't serious, as he's missed playoff appearances by the team in 2021 and 2022 due to a torn ACL that he suffered in April 2021.
The former first-round pick continued to excel in his 43 starts before Thursday's matchup with Miami, averaging 20.9 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc.
If Murray is forced to miss time, backup point guard Reggie Jackson will likely see an increased role. The veteran floor general has recorded 10.6 points and 3.9 assists each night in 59 appearances, shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range.
