Question: Should or take last shot for the ?
Kiz: OK, I’m saying there’s a chance. Yes, the Nuggets are longshots to make the playoffs. But it’s not out of the question. They can’t lose down the stretch. And every single game remaining on the schedule figures to be hotly contested in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. So with the game and a playoff berth on the line, would you rather see the ball in the hands of Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray?
Mizell: This is a fair and interesting question for a team with a core that is still largely coming of age — because one could also argue that or could have this role. Harris, after all, made the biggest shot of Denver’s season thus far when he beat Oklahoma City on national television in February. The Nuggets are going to continue to put the ball in Jokic’s hands and trust him to make the right play. We’ve seen examples of that all season, including Sunday. Jokic got the ball for the Christian Laettner-esque turnaround heave. Jokic inbounded the ball to Harris for that game-winner against the Thunder. Jokic might not take the shot at the buzzer every single time, but the Nuggets are still going to run the offense through their best, most versatile player in clutch moments.
Kiz: How far the Nuggets go this year, or for the next five years, largely depends on how much Jokic and Murray grow as players. They are at the core of this team’s hopes and dreams. They both have all-star potential. Their success will be defined more by offensive prowess than defensive ability. Jokic is the more well-rounded player now, but I get the distinct feeling that Murray has more potential as the alpha male that every championship contender needs.
Mizell: Murray definitely has an outward fire and fearlessness that stands out. I wrote about this confidence in those moments earlier this season, when he went on an incredible run of down-the-stretch play. His father, Roger, told me about the first time Murray made a game-winner when he was about 10 years old — a pull-up shot near halfcourt in which “the look in his eye was just like something he did a billion times.” Murray scored 18 of his 27 points Sunday after the third quarter, including those three pressure-packed free throws. And a game-winning shot doesn’t necessarily come at the buzzer. Murray has had a knack for hitting big shots earlier in the fourth that sparked a run that changed the game before the Nuggets won it.
Kiz: The NBA is filled with elite point guards. Can Murray step up and be somebody that looks Steph Curry in the eye without blinking? I cannot sit here and tell you how many all-star appearances there will be in Murray’s future. But I do know this: He will never blink with the game on the line. I love the Joker, but if the score is tied in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, I want Murray taking the shot to win the game.
Mizell: I’d still run the offense as normal and trust Jokic to make the right decision — either to shoot or make a play for an open teammate. Jokic, Murray, Harris, Millsap and even (who had the game-tying layup to force overtime in Oklahoma City) have all converted huge buckets in the waning seconds for the Nuggets this season. But Murray’s mental toughness — and production — in late-game situations as a second-year point guard has been impressive this season. His awareness to snatch the steal, pull up from beyond the arc and calmly nail three game-tying free throws Sunday was just the latest example.
