Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray is listed as questionable for Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers due to a left calf strain, according to the team’s injury report Sunday.
Murray was seen nursing his calf early in the fourth quarter of Game 4 on Saturday night, but he did not leave the game. His jump shot has struggled in Denver’s first-round playoff series despite a game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 2. Through the first four games of the series, Murray has shot 38% from the field and 20.8% from 3-point range on six outside attempts per game — a staggering drop-off from his regular-season numbers, which were career highs from the field (48.1%) and beyond the arc (42.5%).
Game 5 tips off at 8 p.m. Monday at Ball Arena in downtown Denver. It will be broadcast on TNT.
Murray has navigated a list of minor leg injuries this season, causing him to miss 23 games. He’s had hamstring, ankle, shin and knee injuries before his calf issue popped up after the Nuggets’ Game 4 loss in Los Angeles. They lead the series 3-1 and still have three opportunities to clinch a spot in the second round against Minnesota or Phoenix.
Backup point guard Reggie Jackson was listed as probable for Game 5 on Denver’s injury report. He played nine minutes in Game 4 after spraining his left ankle in the third game of the series.
Behind Murray and Jackson, the Nuggets can move Christian Braun out of his natural position to play some point guard, or they can go into their bench depth and use rookie Jalen Pickett if they are desperate to fill minutes. Two-way point guard Collin Gillespie often became a part of Michael Malone’s rotation during the regular season when Murray was out, but Gillespie is ineligible to play in the playoffs due to the nature of his contract. Pickett appeared in 27 regular-season games, but only twice for 10 or more minutes.
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