Jamal Murray’s season-ending knee injury likely served as the end of the Nuggets’ Finals hopes ahead of the 2021 playoffs. But his absence from the lineup didn’t exactly decimate Denver’s attack through its first three playoff games.
The Nuggets closed the regular season 13–5 without Murray, sporting the NBA’s No. 8 offensive rating following his mid-April exit from the lineup. Nikola Jokic cruised to the top of the MVP ballots across the league, while Michael Porter Jr. continued his ascent as a star in the making. A similar pattern has emerged in round one.