DENVER — Nikola Jokic will finally see a familiar face at the NBA All-Star Game.
Jamal Murray earned his first career All-Star berth 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.
«It feels really good,» Jokic said. «He’s been playing at a really high level the last two years. … It’s good for him to be there because he’s supposed to be there.»
Murray said he was taking his pregame nap when friends video-called him with the news that he’d been selected to play in the All-Star game at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, next weekend.
He has long said that if he were to make an All-Star Game, he’d take it competitively and seriously, suggesting he’d rather vacation than play in the game if it’s just a no-defense display of teams burning up the nets.
«I’m down to play 1-on-1, I don’t care, I’m just a competitor,» Murray said. «So I want to be known as one of those guys who’s going to play hard every time he steps on the court.»
Asked what’s the first shot he wants to take next Sunday, Murray deadpanned: «Half-court, full-court.»
How does that jibe with his let’s-be-serious approach?
«I’m going to make it, though,» he said with a laugh.
It’s been a long time coming for Murray to get his All-Star invite, Denver coach David Adelman said.
«When I saw that, so many things went through my mind, just multiple 50-point games, multiple 50-point games in the playoffs,» Adelman said ahead of Denver’s showdown against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which they lost 121-111.
«Let’s see, triple-double in the Finals, NBA champion, most wins in the West over the last 10 years, he’s the point guard of that team, 55-point (game) last year, (career-high) 17 assists (in a game) this year, NBA All-Star,» Adelman added. «So, in my mind, all of those things make sense, except for the one that was missing. So, maybe All-NBA, maybe he’ll be considered.»
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.
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.
Murray has already topped 30 points 13 times this season, besting his previous career mark of 11, and he’s 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.
«Well, well, well deserving. He’s playing (crazy) this year,» Thunder star and fellow Canadian All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said Sunday night.
This will also be the first time two Canadian players will play in the NBA All-Star Game.
«For Canada basketball, it’s just cool,» Gilgeous-Alexander said. «Like growing up, it was never in a million years.»
Last month, Murray won Western Conference Player of the Week (Dec. 8) honors for the first time in his career, and he and Jokic are two of the five NBA players averaging 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds per game.
Murray showed up to training camp in better physical shape this year, and Adelman said he also arrived with a sharper mind.
«Your body is at its best when it’s not just the physical part, it’s your mind,» Adelman said. «And he’s played the game so clean. … I think it’s his body, but I also think it’s his mind. He’s just not fighting anything, he’s just playing. And the guy’s so talented, when he takes what’s given to him, so much success can happen.
«Everything about him this year has been really fun to watch and watching him grow up and to have this moment for him, long time coming and he’ll represent our team well in Los Angeles.»
A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Murray was the seventh overall selection in the 2016 NBA draft out of Kentucky.
«I wouldn’t trade him for anybody,» Jokic said. «Whenever I say who’s the top-5 of my career, he’s definitely No. 1. So, we have a great relationship on the floor. There’s so, so many good moments – bad moment, too – but that’s what creates good moments. So, it’s a pleasure to have him over there.»
