Is Jamal Murray playing against the Heat? Latest injury update on Denver star ahead of matchup (9th June 2023)

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is active and healthy for Friday’s big Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Denver takes on the Miami Heat in South Florida. Murray’s Nuggets lead the series 2-1 after demolishing Miami in Game 3.

Murray is coming off an incredible triple-double performance. His teammate Nikola Jokic also had a 30-point triple-double in the win.

Murray’s stats in the NBA Finals so far

Murray scored 34 points, grabbed 10 boards and dished 10 assists in the last game. Murray was hitting shots from all over the floor.

The Canadian shot 12 of 22 from the field, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. It was the eighth time during these playoffs where Murray went off for more than 30 points.

Murray has been on fire and been a problem for the Miami Heat defense during the finals so far. Murray is shooting 50.8 percent from the field and averaging 26.0 points and 10.0 assists per game.

Murray is getting a lot of open looks, especially from mid range. Murray is finding the intermediate holes in the Miami zone defense to drain mid-range jumpers. The Heat did a good job of defending Murray without fouling in Games 1 and 2. However, in Game 3 Murray got to the line more often, hitting 7 of 8 free throws.

Denver will be nearly impossible to beat if Murray scores 30 points or more again. Denver is 7-1 in playoff games when he eclipses the 30-point mark.

This is the first time Murray has been available for the playoffs since the 2020 bubble. Murray missed Denver’s previous two playoff runs after suffering knee an ACL tear.

A key to the game

Denver dominated Game 3 with efficient shooting from inside the paint and rebounding. It shot 51.2 percent from the field. The Nuggets outrebounded the Heat by a whopping 25 grabs.

Denver has a clear size advantage at almost every position, including of course Jokic always being the biggest player on the floor. If Denver’s size is overpowering once again, it could be a short series. Miami will need to put more emphasis on crashing the glass to have a chance in Game 4.