In search for playoff fuel, Jamal Murray “100%” motivated by Kris Dunn being drafted higher in 2016

Over the class of a playoff series the dynamic between Jamal Murray and an illustrious perimeter defender starts to resemble that of a first baseman and a runner on base as Murray would describe it It s funny because I get specific good defenders on me year after year he reflected and I get to create good relationships with those guys Getting to play against them we re just joking around going back and forth taunting whatever it is In other words there s something weirdly chummy about cutthroat competition But still with an undercurrent of rancor It s complicated Murray responded with a smile Tuesday when requested if he outsources any extra motivation from the fact that his latest dogged defender Kris Dunn was drafted ahead of him nine years ago One hundred percent he stated just One hundred percent Murray s shot-making and showmanship were at their best in Encounter of Denver s first-round series his -point performance guiding the Nuggets to a - lead over the Clippers It was an announcement of his arrival to the playoffs after he lingered around his regular-season scoring average for three games and dipped into inadequacy in the fourth You can kind of tell the way the ball goes off his hands certain nights interim coach David Adelman commented I thought he had great lift on his jump shot Murray doesn t forget He can manufacture a chip on his shoulder as effectively as any professional athlete Against Dunn that chip is the size of Canada The Nuggets picked Murray seventh overall in the draft adding a foundational piece of their eventual championship puzzle Two picks earlier Dunn was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves The feeling of having been overlooked in a draft is classic borderline-clich fuel for athletes Murray has a full tank of it in this series In fact Clippers backup center Ben Simmons was the No pick in his draft going to Philadelphia It s more before the series Murray commented when demanded when he thinks about those storylines We re just competing We re just trying to get the win right now It s best out of three It s not about making it personal It s just you know it goes for anybody Not just Dunn But it s just a competitive spirit It s like I declared I like the challenge and I like to give a challenge too Murray converted of shots outside of the paint in Denver s - win The Clippers shared in the blame for his eight -pointers He knocked down multiple with Dunn in his face then others while guarded by a cavalcade of Nicolas Batum Derrick Jones Jr and James Harden I thought he came out being aggressive which we knew he would That s why we started off with the blitz against him Clippers coach Ty Lue stated Just to try to slow him down And he made every shot Pull-up s Midrange We did everything We dropped we switched we did a lot of different coverages But he had a hell of a event Murray was a release valve for Nikola Jokic on a -for- shooting night The Serbian big man tied his career-low for shots made in a playoff encounter matching his playoff debut in When Jokic is a vacuum scorer it generally doesn t bode well for the Nuggets Murray is the opposite His points are the opposite of an empty stat Since he returned from his torn ACL at the start of the - season Denver is - when he scores points including the postseason In his playoff career the Nuggets are - when he surpasses When he s complementary of Nikola it s great Adelman mentioned but it sure is nice to have these nights where it s his show It s an accurate word choice Murray is a connoisseur of the competition within the tournament He plays to the crowd like very limited in the NBA can His expressive face and surly tone lend personality to a low-key Nuggets locker room And he s enthralled by the challenge of solving a top-tier defender for six or seven games especially when that defender represents a decade-old draft snub There s times when you ve gotta roll with the punches There s times where you ve gotta shake it up a little bit and make him react to you You ve just gotta keep him off-balance Murray reported of facing Dunn Presumably the best way I can put it Keep him off-balance Not give him one look Give him something to think about It s perpetually fun going against him And it s constantly a battle to go against him I just have fun with those matchups