UPDATE: The Nuggets announced Tuesday morning that Jamal Murray has suffered a torn left ACL and will be out indefinitely. He will likely miss the rest of the 2020-21 season and this year's Olympic qualifying tournament, which Team Canada needs to win in order to clinch a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.
Jamal Murray has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee.
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 13, 2021
He will be out indefinitely.https://t.co/oXw32TeqJz
ORIGINAL: The Nuggets may have lost much more than just one game against the Warriors.
With less than a minute to go in Monday night's contest between Denver and Golden State, Nuggets star Jamal Murray went down with what appeared to be a non-contact left knee injury. The 24-year-old was looking to trim the Warriors' seven-point lead on a drive to the basket when he suddenly collapsed in pain, grabbing at his knee and slamming his hand down on the court.
MORE: How long is LeBron James out?
Medical staffers immediately rushed out to check on Murray, who eventually left the floor but didn't put any weight on his left leg.
Jamal Murray was helped off the court after an apparent knee injury with 50 seconds left against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/sz7akzOiq4
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 13, 2021
After Denver's 116-107 loss, Nuggets coach Mike Malone said that there was "no real update" on Murray's status, as the team was waiting for MRI results on his left knee.
"Obviously a very down locker room," Malone said. "Yes, we lost the game, but I think everybody's thoughts are with Jamal and hoping that he's going to be OK. No definitive answer right now. We're waiting for kind of word on the imaging, and we'll go from there."
Here's @nuggets head coach, Michael Malone, speaking postgame where the main talking point was the injury to Jamal Murray.#MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/xN26sCSK8v
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) April 13, 2021
Murray had missed the Nuggets' past four games with a right knee injury before returning and posting 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 33 minutes against the Warriors.
"His [right] knee's been bothering him. He took those four games to try to get right," Malone said. "First game back, obviously. It's just an awful feeling. Keep Jamal in your thoughts and prayers, and hopefully we'll get some good news."
In his fifth NBA season, Murray is averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game. Entering Tuesday's slate of games, Denver is 34-20 overall, one game ahead of the Lakers for fourth place in the Western Conference standings.
