A comparison between Austin Reaves and Jamal Murray recently came to the surface on X. According to Stathead Basketball, Reaves is putting up better numbers than Murray. He is leading almost every statistical category over Jamal, except for rebounds and free throw percentage.
Reaves is averaging 18.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. As for Murray, he's putting up 17.9 ppg, 5.3 apg, 4.1 rpg and 1.0 spg. Reaves is also shooting better with 45.2% accuracy compared to Jamal's 39.8%.
Fans on X couldn't help but make fun of the Denver Nuggets star. Here are some of their reactions:
![march madness logo](http://staticg.sportskeeda.com/skm/assets/march-madness-logo.png)
"Fry that laker merchant"
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"Jamal needs to donate half of his career earnings to jokic 😭😭😭"
Other fans humorously pointed out how Murray suddenly becomes better when facing the LA Lakers:
"Cut Murray some slack, he hasn’t gotten to face the Lakers yet this year," one said.
"And the nuggets would still sweep the lakers in a series 😭," one tweeted.
"wait for that Lakers matchup he’s gonna turn into 2006 Kobe," another said.
"bet when he face us he turning into prime mj tho," another pointed out.
Looking at Jamal Murray's stats against the Lakers
![NBA: Playoffs-Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets - Source: Imagn](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=190 190w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=720 720w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=640 640w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=1045 1045w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=1200 1200w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=1460 1460w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/23148172-1731899918.jpeg 1920w)
Jamal Murray is undeniably the best option for the Denver Nuggets after Nikola Jokic. However, Murray isn't exactly living up to his previous performances as he's currently scoring under 20 points per game, which is uncharacteristic of him given how he has averaged 20 or more points in the past three seasons. The last time he averaged under 20 points was back in the 2019-20 season with 18.5 ppg.
Despite his shortcomings so far this season, many are anticipating his performance when the Nuggets take on the LA Lakers. Murray has become a menacing figure for the Purple and Gold in the recent past. The Nuggets guard played a prominent role in taking the Lakers out of the playoffs in two consecutive seasons.
Looking at Jamal Murray's stats when facing the Lakers in the regular season, he's averaging 20.2 ppg, 4.9 apg and 4.4 rpg. His best game against them was on January 9, 2023, when he scored 34 points over LA and secured a 122-109 victory.
In the playoffs, Murray is averaging better figures when going up against the Lakers. At the moment, he's putting up 26.6 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 5.0 rpg. In the 2023 Western Conference Finals, Jamal had three consecutive 30-point games to help Nikola Jokic sweep LA.
Given the insane numbers he's putting up against the Lakers, it's no wonder fans are confused about why Jamal Murray isn't consistently playing at an elite level.
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