It didn’t matter if it was Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo or Ayo Dosunmu standing in front of Jamal Murray on Saturday.
“Irrelevant,” Murray said of the different defenders Minnesota sent his way after Denver’s 116-105 win in Game 1 at Ball Arena.
“Somebody is going to chase me. Somebody is going to push me. … I get a screen, and I score.”
And score he did. Murray’s 30 points led all players. He scored 16 of those points from the free throw line without a miss, setting a new career high for free throws attempted and free throws made in a game.
“Jamal is amazing,” Nikola Jokic said after a 25-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist performance. “(He’s) one of the best free-throw shooters in the game, in my opinion.”
That drew the ire of Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, who called it a “head scratcher.” Murray disagreed, citing a few of his free throws were the result of away-from-the-ball fouls and technicals.
“I thought I got fouled on every single one of them,” Murray said. “I don’t know what everybody is talking about. It’s real fouls. It’s just being aggressive.”
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots the ball while being defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) in the 2nd quarter of the first game of the first round of the NBA Championships at Ball Arena on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 116-105. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)
McDaniels started the game by picking up Murray full court, as he has for many of their previous meetings. It worked for a while. With other Nuggets bringing the ball up the court, Murray missed both of his field-goal attempts in the first quarter. His only points of the opening quarter came on a three-shot foul committed by McDaniels that was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. It was no coincidence Denver trailed by 10 after the first quarter.
By halftime, Murray had 17 points,11 from the line, to tie the game. His makes from the field came after he beat Dosunmu off the dribble and hit over Mike Conley. Then came another step-back mid-range jumper over Dosunmu and a pull-up jumper over Rudy Gobert after a screen from Nikola Jokic on McDaniels forced a switch.
“It was just toughness, man. He’s got a lot of responsibilities, a lot of different people guarding him that are high-level defenders that had a hold of his jersey throughout the night,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said.
“McDaniels, he works hard. Anthony Edwards is on him, Dosunmu, this is a challenge. I just thought, mentally, he fought through it, and they were timely shots that he made – midrange jump shots where they were on a run.”
Murray was at his best off the bounce in the third quarter. There was a hesitation move that froze Julius Randle after the Nuggets’ guard blew past DiVincenzo and finished with a finger roll. Denver’s lead grew to 15 in the third after a driving three-point play and a turnaround jumper over McDaniels outstretched hand.
The only thing that went wrong was a 0-for-8 mark from 3-point range that left him 7-for-22 from the field for the game. Murray shot a career-best 43.5% on 3s in the regular season.
“That’s not going to happen (again). You know the rhythm he’s been in,” Adelman said. “Jamal has been Jamal all year, just tough-minded.”
Denver Nuggets Head Coach David Adelman has a chat will Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) in the third quarter of the first game of the first round of the NBA Championships at Ball Arena on Saturday, April 18, 2026. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 116-105. (The Gazette, Jerilee Bennett)
The 29-year-old said he’s revisited the previous Game 1 performances of his career prior to Saturday’s game. He recalled the adrenaline being so high that he pulled up from the logo early in his first playoff game against San Antonio back in 2019. Now, there’s a calmness to Murray that allows him to produce regardless of which defender stands in his way.
“I try not to overthink,” Murray said.
“I feel like there’s so many different things that can factor in different ways, but when I just put my mind to doing what I do, what I know how to do the best, what I’ve been doing for almost 30 years, then there’s not much thinking that goes on. I just go out there and play my game.”
Nuggets 116, Timberwolves105
What happened: Denver erased a 10-point deficit after the first quarter and tied the game at 62 by halftime. Minnesota fell behind by 12 after three quarters and made things interesting late but couldn’t get over the hump.
What went right: The Nuggets allowed just 17 points in the third quarter and 43 in the entire second half.
What went wrong: Denver, which finished the regular season with the league’s best 3-point percentage, went 10 of 36 from 3-point range. Minnesota shot slightly better, going 11 of 34 from deep.
Highlight of the day: Aaron Gordon euro-stepped around Donte DiVincenzo and threw down a dunk despite a strong contest from Anthony Edwards early in the third quarter. The two-handed slam gave the Nuggets a two-point advantage.
Up next: Denver hosts Game 2 at 8:30 p.m. Monday.