Hot-shooting Jamal Murray erupts for 52, Nuggets sink Pacers - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was listed as questionable just a few hours before Denver's game Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

By tipoff, he left nothing to chance.

Just two nights after spraining his right ankle, Murray delivered one of the NBA's most efficient performances all season. He made 19 of 25 shots, including an incredible 10-of-11 on 3-pointers, to finish with a season-high 52 points in a 135-120 victory over the defending Eastern Conference champs.

The 91% clip from deep tied the highest in a game in NBA history (minimum 10 attempts).

«Keep shooting,» Murray said when asked what went through his mind as the shots continued to fall. «You've been doing this so long, there's no need to oversimplify. Just playing, having fun, playing, having fun.»

Murray was in such a groove, he even took a moment to sign an autograph — during the game.

And he wasn't the only one enjoying the show.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver got a firsthand glimpse at what Nuggets coach David Adelman described as one of the most efficient 50-point games in recent memory. Nuggets teammate Bruce Brown, who is back with Denver where he won an NBA title in 2023, said Murray's shooting made his job easier.

«Just give him the ball,» Brown said he was thinking. «Get out of the, go to the corner. If he need me, I'll be open, but I'll give it right back to him and just let him work.»

Murray's shots fell from everywhere — deep, deep 3s, midrange shots, even baskets in the paint. One that even hit the front of the rim and looked like it would carom off for a rare miss instead bounced above the rim and fell through the net as the Pacers had rallied from a 29-point deficit to get within striking distance in the fourth quarter.

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