Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets opened the 2023-24 NBA season with a win over LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakes on Tuesday night prologue of – and despite a hard-fought battle, the two proved it’s bigger than a basketball Then.
The Lakers were defeated by the defending champions 119-107 at Ball Arena, but James still had time to express love to Murray’s family before boarding the team bus.
LeBron sends love to Jamal Murray’s family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/H2sOBci7Un
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) October 25, 2023
Murray reposted the video to his Instagram Story, approving the King’s move. “The side they don’t see,” the Canadian star wrote. Clearly, there’s some camaraderie between the two stars.
Murray, Nuggets go and run
After dominating the 2023 NBA playoffs, the Nuggets are starting from scratch and jumping into the win column early in front of their fans. Another great performance from Nikola Jokic to lead the team. The reigning Finals MVP opened the game with a triple-double, adding 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in another incredible performance from the Serbian.
“I thought we were in control of the game,” the superstar said afterward.
Murray rounded out his tally with 21 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block in the win. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points, Aaron Gordon scored 15 points and Michael Porter Jr. scored 12 points.
LeBron excels in reduced playing time
For the Lakers, LeBron leads the way despite playing about five minutes less than usual.
“I mean, I always want to be on the court,” James explained after the loss, “especially when you have a chance to win a game or feel like you can make an impact. But I think there’s a system in place, I will follow it.”
The 38-year-old, the league’s oldest player, made it clear afterward that he was “not surprised or upset” that the team was monitoring his minutes early in the season.
Taurean Prince scored 18 points in his Lakers debut, Anthony Davis scored 17 points, Austin Reeves scored 14 points and D’Angelo Russell scored 11 points.
Los Angeles trailed by as many as 18 points in the game, but used a 13-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to get within three. When that wasn’t enough, Aaron Gordon’s three-pointer ended the game.
Regardless of the outcome, it was great to see the sportsmanship between LeBron James and Jamal Murray after the game.