Jamal Murray comments on Chris Paul's hard foul, wants people to look at Paul's 'history'
Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets made light work of the Phoenix Suns yesterday to kick things off in a second-round series filled with All-Stars left and right.
Murray was the star that had the most impact last night as he went for 34 points on 13-24 shooting, including 6-10 from three-point range, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. The Suns struggled all night in making things difficult for Murray as he was able to get to his spot on the court with ease.
But halfway into the fourth quarter, Jamal Murray was pushing the ball in transition when Chris Paul shoved the Nuggets' star hard as he was assessed a flagrant foul for the play.
After the game, Murray addressed his brief altercation with Chris Paul:
"I'm not here to start nothing. I'm just trying to play a game. If he does that, he does it. Y'all can judge it by itself or look at his history."
"I'm not here to start nothing. I'm just trying to play a game. If he does that, he does it. Y'all can judge it by itself or look at his history."
Jamal Murray on Chris Paul's hard foul on him
https://t.co/n4UYwIH9vH
With Murray shedding some light on Chris Paul's history of hard foul antics, similar to how he fouled Giannis Antetokounmpo's alley-oop dunk in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, it will be interesting to see how this series develops if referee officials look more closely into how the Suns' point guard commits these fouls.
If the Suns want any chance of sending the Denver Nuggets home, they are going to need more than what Chris Paul gave them last night. He had 11 points on 5-11 shooting, including 1-5 from three-point range, 5 assists and 1 steal.
Kevin Durant on losing in dominant fashion to Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets
After a disappointing series opener, Kevin Durant praised the Denver Nuggets and how they're a team that shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone in the league. He said:
"They're the No. 1 seed for a reason. They got a two-time MVP. They've got a deep team. I'm not surprised. We've got our work cut out for us."
Kevin Durant was the leading scorer for the Suns as he had 29 points on 12-19 shooting, including 1-3 from three-point range, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Even with that double-double outing, the team proved to be too much for the Suns in Game 1 as they held the visiting team to 30.4% shooting from three-point range and forced 16 turnovers.
The Suns also couldn't find an answer for Jamal Murray as they struggled to contain him for the duration of the game.
Suns' coach Monty Williams spoke with reporters after the game to give his perspective on Murray's Game 1 explosion and how the home team looked.
"Let's be honest, some of the shots he hit tonight I don't think anybody could have stopped him. I thought that they were just more physical, played with more force. We've got to regroup and do a much better job of playing with pace on offense."
The Suns will look to bounce back in Game 2 as they hope to steal a road victory against the number one seed in the Western Conference.