BOSTON — Nikola Jokic didn’t play at TD Garden on Wednesday night. The Denver Nuggets were without their go-to offensive hub. So, they used a different one.
With the three-time MVP sidelined, the Boston Celtics decided to throw everything at Jamal Murray. Every time he touched the ball, they sent extra pressure. But Murray wasn’t phased.
“When you [send] a double team, and they make the right pass out of it, you're always gonna be at a disadvantage,” Payton Pritchard said post-game. “So, they made the right plays, and they hit shots out of it.”
Jamal Murray completely wrecked the Celtics' game plan
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Murray had dished out a career-high 17 assists, most of which came directly out of Boston’s double-teams.
Every drive, post-up, and pick-and-roll, the Celtics tried to make Murray’s life difficult. They wanted the rest of the Nuggets to beat them. Anyone but Murray. That’s exactly what they got.
“I think, in the first half, they were 6-for-7 from corner threes, and some of those came off the doubles, which you're not always going to be able to control,” said Joe Mazzulla. “So, we'll go back and take a look at the ones that we could get better at, especially from the corners.”
Denver spaced the floor beautifully, and the Celtics’ ball pressure came at a price because of it. Whenever they threw multiple bodies at Murray, he had a guy waiting in the corner to drain an open three.
“Murray, you've got to give credit to him,” said Mazzulla. “He played really well. But he also had 17 assists versus the pick-and-roll, versus the aggressive coverages.
“So, there are obviously possessions that we'll get better at, in our shifts and our rotations, but you've got to give credit to them. It was a two-on-one for the majority of the game, and they took advantage of that.”
Murray finished the contest with 22 points, eight rebounds, and 17 assists. But perhaps most impressively, he only turned the ball over twice. In a game where the Celtics’ entire game plan was to make Murray uncomfortable, he looked the opposite.
“He's a really good player, and he made the right read a lot tonight,” said Derrick White. “So, credit to him, and credit to his teammates for being in the right position as well. Obviously, you want to get it out of his hand, but I think a lot of those kind of led to layups or threes, and those kind of hurt you. So, maybe [need] better pressure on the ball or whatever it might be, but he made a lot of really good plays.”
He didn’t complete the job alone. Denver’s floor spacers were a key cog in their machine. Had they failed to convert their triples, Boston’s double-teams would have worked.
But that’s not how the game played out.
Peyton Watson made six of his seven threes (a career-high) for a 30-point night (the second-highest mark of his career). Tim Hardaway Jr. was 4-of-8 from downtown. DaRon Holmes II went 2-of-5.
Denver combined to shoot 20-of-44 (45.5%) from behind the arc on Wednesday night. So far this season, teams are 15-49 when allowing 20 made threes. Boston was unable to break that mold.
When the final quarter came around, it was a nailbiter. With 8:12 to go, Anfernee Simons snagged an offensive rebound and hit a circus-shot layup to put the Celtics up 90-87.
From that point on, it was all Murray.
Murray steal and assist for a Zeke Nnaji and-one. Murray step-back middy. Murray assist on a Christian Braun three. Murray assist on a Watson layup. Murray assist for a Nnaji dunk. Murray dump-in pass that led to two Nnaji free throws.
Jaylen Brown and-one.
Murray assist on a Jalen Pickett middy. Murray assist on a Watson three.
Two Pritchard free throws.
Murray pass to a cutting Nnaji that led to two free throws.
Brown three.
Murray mid-range.
From 7:26 mark to 1:18, the Nuggets outscored the Celtics 22-8, and Murray had a hand in every single point that was scored. He racked up six assists in just over six minutes, all stemming from Boston’s coverage.
If Denver wanted to make Boston pay for its defensive game plan, they had to hit shots and space the floor perfectly. They did just that.
“I thought our defense was fine. I think they just made a lot of shots,” said Brown. “You got to give credit to them. I think they shot, what, 20-of-44 from three? I think that was one of their better shooting performances of the year from three. Peyton Watson, a lot of those guys, they've been working on their game. They shot the ball incredibly well from downtown tonight. I thought our defense did its job, but they had a good shooting night.”
Murray played maestro on Wednesday night. All the Celtics wanted to do was force the ball out of his hands. They succeeded.
But he picked the perfect place to pass the ball every single time.