Jamal Murray's big night against Rockets another step in return from knee injury

Nov. 29—The eye test shows one thing, but the Nuggets are saying another.

Jamal Murray looked like his old self while posting 31 points, five assists and two rebounds in Monday's 129-113 win over the Rockets at Ball Arena. It was his highest-scoring game since the star guard underwent surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament nearly 18 months ago.

Still, he and coach Michael Malone agreed there's another step before Murray is all the way back.

"He's playing well. He's found his rhythm. I still don't think he's in optimal game shape," Malone said. "I think that's going to come, and when he gets there, I think that will allow him to impact the game on so many more levels."

While his shooting percentages through 16 games are a couple points lower than his career marks, Murray chalked it up to missing make-able shots. He made 4 of 8 from 3-point range on Monday, including the 700th triple of his NBA career, and seven of nine shots inside the arc. He could've flirted with 40 if not for a lopsided score that allowed most of the starting five to watch the entire fourth quarter from the bench.

"I can score the ball, guys. Don't be surprised," Murray said. "There's, obviously, another level I'm getting to. ... I don't know where I'm at, but from Utah, in Game 1, you can see it's night and day. I'm just going to keep progressing."

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A recent stint in the league's COVID-19 protocols complicated the return. Five days of isolation didn't help his shooting touch or conditioning. Murray exited protocols with a 3-for-12 shooting performance against Detroit and a 9-for-21 showing against the Clippers. His 11-for-17 night Monday was his most efficient game this season, though he's still trying to lift the cap on his playing time. After playing 26 minutes in the opener, Murray played more than 30 minutes for the first time on Oct. 30. He's worked his way north of 30 minutes in a majority of the Nuggets' close games in November.

"I'm not tired out there. My wind is really coming back, and that's exciting. Once I can get off this," Murray said, pausing to slam his fist on the table, "minutes restriction, I'll be good."

Nikola Jokic joked his partner in Denver's lethal two-man game would "suck" for 20 games. The 31-point performance came in Denver's 20th game, though it was just the 16th in which Murray played. Jokic is sticking with his call.

"No, he's going to suck (for) a couple more (games)," Jokic said. "Then, he's going to be constant."