On April 29, Beijing time, the first round of the NBA continued, and the so-called "leftover is king", and whoever can keep the core team intact in the playoffs has a very high probability of winning. At present, the Clippers' Leonard, the Bucks' Brother Alphabet and Lillard, the Heat's Butler and other superstars have all suffered from injuries, and the Clippers can still deal with it, and the big score has come to 2-2, but the Bucks have fallen behind the Pacers 1-3 and are about to be eliminated, and the Heat are 1-2 behind the Celtics, and they will definitely encounter a first-round tour. However, Murray, the core player of the defending champion Nuggets, was injured at a critical moment, and the Lakers' chance to advance came.
Murray has suffered a serious injury, he scored 50+ in the first round of the 19-20 season, but in 2021, Murray suffered a serious injury with a torn ligament, and the recovery time was more than 1 year, and he directly missed all the games in the 21-22 season. However, the Nuggets management and Jokic were very patient, they did not discuss trading Murray, but waited for him to return, and in the 22-23 season, Murray performed bravely in the playoffs, especially against the Lakers in the Western Conference finals, Murray averaged 30+ per game, and finally helped the team win the championship. But Murray has a history of serious injuries, and his health directly determines the fate of the Nuggets.
Murray has played a high number of minutes in this year's playoffs, averaging 39.5 minutes per game in the past four games, and playing more than 39 minutes in all four games. In the series G4, Murray hit the ball against the defense of the Lakers players, but it may have been too much to get rid of and directly strained his calf, and Murray was still holding his calf at that time, with a very painful expression. However, Murray still insisted on finishing the game, and the Nuggets lost to the Lakers and missed the sweep.
The series is very long, and many unexpected situations will completely change the situation of the game, but the game between the Lakers and the Nuggets really has a turning point, and Murray's injury has become the biggest uncertaintie. The Nuggets have officially announced that Murray is doubtful for a calf strain and may miss the next home game, hoping that he can recover soon. Murray, 27 years old and in the prime of his career, has a chance to help the Nuggets defend their title, but for now, the Nuggets may not let Murray play with an injury, after all, the team's goal is to win a championship, not just eliminate the Lakers.
A calf strain is not a serious injury, but it is very tricky, and it is difficult for players to use their legs in the shot, which can cause a sharp drop in shooting percentage. If G5 Jokic leads the team alone, although it is enough to lead the team to win, but without Murray, the Lakers have a greater chance, they can rest assured that Jokic will be included, and they will also strengthen the defense of Gordon and Porter Jr., once Murray is absent, Reggie Jackson is likely to play the starter, his performance is very unstable, the Lakers will even let him shoot, if it really breaks out, then the Lakers have nothing to say about being out, but if Reggie plays sluggishly, the Lakers are likely to take away the victory from the road.
The Lakers have a chance to win one more game, and at this stage, there is no need to think about other issues, just play one game at a time, win one game and may continue to win the next game, James and thick eyebrows are in very good shape, if Russell can become more stable, the Lakers will become very strong, in short, the next G5 will definitely be very interesting, maybe the series will not end so soon, let's wait and see.