DENVER (AP) \u2014 Nikola Jokic will finally see a familiar face at the NBA All-Star Game.<\/p>\n
Jamal Murray earned his first career All-Star berth<\/a> in his ninth season Sunday. He and Jokic, who was named a starter last week, are the first pair of Denver Nuggets teammates selected to an All-Star Game since 2010 when Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups both made it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt feels really good,\u201d Jokic said. \u201cHe\u2019s been playing at a really high level the last two years. … It\u2019s good for him to be there because he\u2019s supposed to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Murray said he was taking his pregame nap when friends video-called him with the news that he\u2019d been selected to play in the All-Star game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, next weekend.<\/p>\n He has long said that if he were to make an All-Star Game, he\u2019d take it competitively and seriously, suggesting he\u2019d rather vacation than play in the game if it\u2019s just a no-defense display of teams burning up the nets.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m down to play 1-on-1, I don\u2019t care, I\u2019m just a competitor,\u201d Murray said. \u201cSo I want to be known as one of those guys who\u2019s going to play hard every time he steps on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked what\u2019s the first shot he wants to take next Sunday, Murray deadpanned: \u201cHalf-court, full-court.\u201d<\/p>\n How does that jibe with his let\u2019s-be-serious approach?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to make it, though,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a long time coming for Murray to get his All-Star invite, Denver coach David Adelman said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw that, so many things went through my mind, just multiple 50-point games, multiple 50-point games in the playoffs,\u201d Adelman said ahead of Denver\u2019s showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which they lost 121-111<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s see, triple-double in the Finals, NBA champion, most wins in the West over the last 10 years, he\u2019s the point guard of that team, 55-point (game) last year, (career-high) 17 assists (in a game) this year, NBA All-Star,\u201d Adelman added. \u201cSo, in my mind, all of those things make sense, except for the one that was missing. So, maybe All-NBA, maybe he\u2019ll be considered.\u201d<\/p>\n Murray, 28, is averaging career highs in points (25.8), shooting percentage (49.2), 3-point percentage (44.7), rebounds (4.3) and assists (7.4) this season while leading the Nuggets through an injury epidemic that has sidelined Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, and Jonas Valanciunas, among others.<\/p>\n Murray helped the Nuggets navigate the loss of Jokic for 16 games during which they went a surprising 10-6 to keep pace in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n Murray has already topped 30 points 13 times this season, besting his previous career mark of 11, and he\u2019s one of a dozen players in the league to score 50 or more points in a game this season. He also has 11 games with double-digit assists, marking a career single-season high.<\/p>\n