The second match of the NBA 2024 Western Conference Semifinals did not turn out in Denver Nuggets’ favor.
The team took a blow on home side with a disappointing loss of 106-80 to Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Nuggets have sporadically had a hard time keeping up in points, and it was evident in this recent match.
The last instance they scored lower than 80 points was during the 2020 Western Conference first round against the Utah Jazz.
However, the Nuggets managed to secure a win then by just two points.
In the early stages of matchday two they were outdone by a score of 28-20, this marks the fifth time in the current playoffs that Denver has been surpassed in the first quarter of the game.
The Nuggets ended Game 2 with a dismal shooting record, only converting 34.9% of their attempts.
This was a new low for the team, with the last comparable performance dating back to an encounter with the Houston Rockets in November 2023.
Star player Jamal Murray’s Game 2 performance turned heads for all the wrong reasons.
Murray concluded the game with an awful eight points from 3-of-18 shooting marking the lowest shooting performance of his entire career.
Murray’s actions while on the bench were also under scrutiny. His acts of throwing a towel at an official and a heating pack onto the court during play raised eyebrows.
ESPN analyst Tim Legler made the most of the situation, making a satirical remark on Murray: “He was 3-for-18. I’m not shocked he missed Marc Davis with that heat pack.”
Tim Legler throws shade at Jamal Murray
"He was 3-for-18. I'm not shocked he missed Marc Davis with that heat pack." 😅
(h/t @awfulannouncing )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 7, 2024
Historically, before the Game 2, NBA teams had a 17-2 win ratio in Game 2 of a playoff series post a Game 1 home defeat since 2021.
The average victory margin above a substantial 15 points per game.
Only in 1994 did the Nuggets counter a 2-0 deficit when they triumphed over the Sonics.
