NBA Watch League Pass

Jamal Murray's play in Game 3 of Lakers vs. Nuggets makes Trae Young, other NBA stars go crazy on Twitter

Gilbert McGregor

•
Jamal Murray's play in Game 3 of Lakers vs. Nuggets makes Trae Young, other NBA stars go crazy on Twitter image

The brighter the lights get, the brighter Nuggets guard Jamal Murray shines.

After struggling through the first three quarters in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, Murray took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points in the final frame. As the series shifted to Los Angeles for Game 3, Murray wasted no time picking up where he left off.

In the first quarter of Game 3, Murray barely missed, scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting to bring his tally over his last two quarters of basketball to 40 points on 14-of-17 shooting. It's a feat of historic proportions.

From fadeaways to backdoor cuts to deep triples, Murray has been a thorn in the Lakers' side. Their defense is still searching for answers.

His final tally for the first half? 30 points on 65.0 percent shooting, four rebounds, and an assist.

The numbers make him the fourth player in the last 25 years to have three halves of 30-plus points in the NBA Playoffs. His 53 points since the fourth quarter of Game 2 are the most over a three-quarter span since the 1998 NBA Playoffs.

As the Lakers look to slow Murray down, the NBA world has quickly made Murray the No. 1 topic of discussion in the Twittersphere.

MORE: Jamal Murray's 4th quarter stats prove he has the playoff clutch gene

NBA stars react to Jamal Murray's play in Game 3 vs. Lakers

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.