Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement - scroll for more content
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected Friday night in a 127-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets for kicking Jamal Murray in the groin. Brooks attempted a turnaround jumper in the third quarter with Murray guarding, and when Brooks fell backward, he kicked his right leg forward, making contact with Murray. Brooks was called for an offensive foul, and Murray was writhing in pain on the court for a few moments before eventually getting up and staying in the game. The officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2, which is an automatic ejection. Murray, who finished with 39 points, said postgame that he didn't believe the kick was intentional and that he and Brooks are "buddies." They are teammates on the Canadian national team. "No, of course not," Murray said. "He's shooting the ball. I mean, he might have flopped a little bit, but I don't think he's really trying to kick me in the [groin]."
Bennett Durando: Jamal Murray: “Our offense has been for years that tone-setter. Just a lot of firepower and teams have to keep up with us, trying to stop us. This year and a couple recent years, we’ve gotta focus on defense. … We have to have a better awareness and not even effort, just more skill.”
Jamal Murray: “Obviously doing it over again and more. I thought I could have made All-Second Team, so striving for that and obviously want to keep the All-Star up, which means I got to have a good start. So really just taking game by game, but focusing on these wins early, I think are important.”
Given there has been so much roster fluidity since the Nuggets’ 2023 NBA title run with roster turnover and injuries, what can you and the rest of the group do to relieve pressure off of Jokić and Jamal? Jones: “We’re trying to do our part every day. We’re trying to be as consistent as possible. A lot of our starters do the heavy lifting. We know that they have so much on their plate that we’re going to do our best each and every night to take some of that pressure off of them. The better that we play, the less that is on their plate. That’s what we’re trying to focus on with being as consistent as possible. We know that they’re going to do their job. So we have to do ours.”
You’ve played with a lot of good point guards in your career. What makes Jamal Murray unique? Tyus Jones: “It’s his shot-making ability. He’s been one of the best shotmakers that I’ve been around. He thinks the game at a high level and is extremely crafty. You can’t give him any daylight, or he’s going to make you pay. His two-man game with Jokić is deadly. But overall, he’s one of the tougher shot-makers that I’ve played with, for sure. He makes it look easy. Every night in a game you watch, he’s making a tough one. It almost seems like the tougher the shot, the higher the possibility that it is going to go in. He’s just a gamer. He always rises to the occasion. He’s always ready to go. He does a lot for this team.”
Advertisement
Bennett Durando: Aaron Gordon: "I got into the league at 18 years old, and I could roll out of bed and play 48 minutes and then go back to bed. And wake up the next day like I didn't play, ready for a back-to-back. I used to make fun of all the old guys for having to get to the gym an hour early or two hours early and do all these warm- ups and cool-downs and exercises, funky tricks of the trade they had picked up throughout their time in their career. So, year 13. (Jamal Murray interrupts: "Year 13? Damn. God damn.") That's what I'm saying, man. I was a boy. I always say I was the first boy that the NBA let into the league, you know? There was no boys allowed. I was the first one. Now I've grown into a man, and I have a bunch of tricks of the trade. I need to be here much earlier and stay much later. And I need to invest a lot more time warming up and a lot more time cooling down so I can be available for these guys."
DeRozan landed on the Nuggets after speaking to the Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans during free agency, choosing a significant role in Denver and a chance to compete in the West. The Nuggets' front office and coaches made a strong recruitment effort in recent weeks to secure DeRozan's commitment, showing him how he would complement Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as an additional playmaker.
Chris Haynes: DeMar DeRozan has been in conversations with Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray and is anxious for the opportunity to play for a contending team, sources say. Denver adds another veteran clutch bucket-getter.
No matter where LeBron decides to go, it would be seen as him chasing rings, since almost every team in the league already has stars. "Where does Charles and the legends want LeBron to go? Do they want him to go to the G League? Because if he went to Cleveland, is that team stacked? Is Miami with Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo is that team stacked? Jokic and Jamal Murray is that team stacked? Ant Edwards, Rudy Gobert I don’t know; he left Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is that not? I don’t understand the premise of the complaint," Windhorst said in response.
Advertisement
FIBA Basketball World Cup: Look who's in Fribourg , Jamal Murray in the house to support his teammate Nikola Jokic. #FIBAWC x #StepItUp
With the Nuggets determined to retain upcoming restricted free agent Peyton Watson and several teams set to hunt for dynamic forwards and small-ball centers, Gordon is a name to monitor that might become available on the table, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. "Whether that's Cam Johnson, that's Christian Braun, or Aaron Gordon, it really sounds like that pretty much everyone outside of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic is going to be discussable for the Nuggets front-office leadership group," Fischer said on Bleacher Report. "I don’t know. Whether or not, the price point would end up be enough for Denver to actually move on from Aaron Gordon but he’s someone that could fit all across the league, in any situations."
By all accounts, incoming head coach Gordie Herbert – the team’s third bench boss in the span of three years – will continue to enforce it and prioritize continuity. It served the British Columbia native well during his stint at the helm of the German National Team, leading them to a gold medal at the 2023 World Cup and a fourth-place finish in Paris. “If guys don’t commit this summer, they’re not in,” said Herbert, who served as an assistant with the Raptors in 2008-09 and has coached around the globe, currently in the Australian National Basketball League. “When I was with Germany, we had six or seven NBA guys and three guys didn’t come, they didn’t want to come. All of sudden they wanted to come [in] Year 2. Sorry. You can’t be successful in anything without commitment, in my opinion.” It’s a strong stance to take with Jamal Murray, the country’s second-best active player and, probably, third-best player ever.
Josh Lewenberg: To sum up NBAers in for Canada this summer: SGA, NAW, Barrett, Brooks, Dort, Nembhard bros, Mathurin, Olynyk, George, Miller Out this summer but in for this cycle: Edey, Powell Didn’t commit: Murray, Sharpe, Wiggins Committed but not selected: Lawson, Banton, Houstan, Prosper
