It was a win or go home situation for the Nuggets heading into tonight’s Thunder clash. Down 3-2, with their backs against the wall, they were just a loss away from their second straight West Semis exit. So, they needed their roster at complete strength for a chance to beat OKC and force Game 7. However, massive concerns emerged when Jamal Murray was initially listed questionable on the injury report due to a sudden illness (remember the long sleeves Murray?). Fortunately, that didn’t stop him from suiting up to rescue his team.

Inching closer to tip-off, David Adelman revealed that Murray would be a game-time decision, “I found out this morning. I’m not a doctor. I’ve seen ‘Outbreak.’ He is definitely sick and questionable up to the tip.” Understanding that the Nuggets’ season was on the line, the star guard was eventually upgraded to available. After the big win, Murray claimed that sitting out tonight’s game was never an option in his mind.

When asked, “When you woke up this morning, was there any chance you didn’t play in this game?” the point guard gave a stern two-word response, “Absolutely not.”

In fact, in the post-game presser, he further detailed his mindset and the processes. “I woke up. Was feeling it. Went to the clinic. Got tested for a couple of different things. It was negative, so, happy about that. But I was always gonna play, in my mind,” he reiterated.

Yes, Jamal understood that his team needed him, which is why he fought through his illness and proved his worth once again. And his presence on the court made all the difference. Putting on a show in Denver, Jamal dropped 25 points and seven assists to lead his team to victory, keeping their season alive. “I’m just glad we won. We brought the right energy needed and you know they’re a good team. They stuck with it, but we gave ourselves life to go to OKC and win a game,” he added.

Well, Murray has been a key piece of the Nuggets’ playoffs success so far. Including tonight’s impressive performance, he has averaged 22.5 points and nearly six assists this postseason. So, his availability was a massive boost for his team. However, they still needed other players to bring their A game as well. And that’s exactly what they did.

Jamal Murray praises Nuggets’ role players after Game 6 win but demands more

With Murray taking care of the playmaking, Nikola Jokic also did what he does best: Everything. He scored a 29-point double-double and was just two assists shy of another triple-double. But it was the Nuggets’ supporting cast that helped them pull away against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. Christian Braun was dominant, finishing with a 23-point double-double.

Meanwhile, Julian Strawther scored fifteen points off the bench. With multiple role players sharing the scoring load, the responsibility didn’t fall solely on Murray’s shoulders, and he was able to play through his illness. He even acknowledged the role players’ impact during the post-game interview, “Amazing. Like I said, they brought the right energy. Not just making shots, but their intent, their focus, their awareness on what’s going on around them and we needed every much of it.”

While the Nuggets got the win tonight, Murray knows that the job is far from over. They still have a massive task at hand of winning Game 7 in OKC. So, he had a demand from his teammates for Sunday’s encounter, “We’re gonna need more. Tonight’s just another step in the right direction but we got a huge game in two days.” Do you think the Nuggets can pull off another epic performance on Sunday and advance to the West Finals?