Jokic and Westbrook are already linked…but Murray makes Nuggets nervous

Nikola Jokic and russell westbrook They will be one of this season’s new couples after the 2017 MVP joined the Denver Nuggets at the Joker’s own request.

In the early hours of Sunday into Monday, both starred in one of the preseason plays. phoenix suns and alley-oop A great pass from the Serbian player made it possible for Ras to score.

Of course, everything is more anecdotal in the preseason, but the 2023 champions succumbed to some Suns who didn’t even play. kevin durantneither Devin Booker nor Bradley Beal played, and the Nuggets turned on the trio of Jokic (21 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists), Westbrook (9 points, 6 assists) and Jamal Murray (2 points). .

However, the real concern for the Nuggets is Murray, who has been feeling discomfort in his left knee since the preseason. Denver’s coach is michael malone The star admitted that he sometimes plays through the pain. The Canadian was struggling with discomfort in his seriously injured knee, but managed to score just two points in 18 minutes on 1-of-6 shooting.

“A lot of times you can just play and relax, but that wasn’t the case last night. Jamal’s ability to tolerate pain is unparalleled and that’s why he’s able to fight.” emphasized Malone.

Murray tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 2021 playoffs and missed the entire 2021-2022 season, but returned to the ring in 2022-2023. However, his irregularities in the playoffs Timberwolves Denver’s loss last season and its disappointing performance Canada At the Olympics, they put him in the spotlight.

And on top of that, he’s had some physical issues that will come back when he just signed a contract extension. 208 million in 4 years.