After the Los Angeles Lakers won Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, it seems they have a slight chance to make this first-round playoff series at least somewhat competitive.
Perhaps the biggest key going into this series, as well as last year’s Western Conference finals versus the Nuggets, was containing Jamal Murray. Last year, Murray simply killed the Lakers by averaging 32.5 points a game as they were swept.
This year, Denver couldn’t sweep the Lakers, and perhaps it will have to return to Los Angeles for Game 6. A big reason the Purple and Gold have built double-digit leads in each of the four games in this series is because Murray has struggled. He’s shooting just 38% from the field and 20.8% from 3-point range thus far.
Austin Reaves deserves plenty of credit for Murray’s struggles. He has held the Denver star to 30.8% shooting overall in this series, per Jacob Rude of SBNation’s Silver Screen and Roll.
Per NBA's match-up data (grain of salt needed), here's how the primary defenders for the Lakers have fared against Jamal Murray this series:
Austin Reaves – 12-39 FG
Gabe Vincent – 6-11 FG
Spencer Dinwiddie – 2-6 FG
D'Angelo Russell – 1-4 FG— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) April 28, 2024
Reaves has been judged to be a weak link in L.A.’s defense all season. However, Murray hasn’t found himself with as many good looks, especially off pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs, as he did in last May’s Western Conference finals.
