NBA Finals: Jamal Murray sustained a next-level floor burn in Denver's Game 3 win
The Denver Nuggets have a 2-1 NBA Finals advantage over the Miami Heat after Wednesday’s 109-94 win in Game 3. Jamal Murray was on display in that victory, recording 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists before the final buzzer.
It's enough to be in awe of how well the guard combines with powerhouse center Nikola Jokić for the reliable Nuggets two-man game, but Murray was also playing through a pretty gross-looking hand injury.
ESPN's Ros Gold-Onwude described the injury Wednesday on Twitter.
"Nuggets Jamal Murray showed me his left hand which had broken open and scraped skin on the palm, that happened after he dove in game," she tweeted. "Throughout the game I noticed they tried putting ice on it and wrapping it at the end of the game with tape. Seemed the wound was stinging to touch so he pulled the wrap off. Even through that he played 45 minutes and had a 34-point triple-double."
Murray showed reporters the floor burn on his left hand at Thursday's practice. The photo Denver Post sportswriter Mike Singer shared of the injury shows just how much tissue the court wiped away. It's not a type of basketball injury we see often.
Jamal Murray has a floor burn on his hand 😳
(Via @msinger ) pic.twitter.com/pajbZ2M05k— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 8, 2023
As Gold-Onwude noted, Murray played substantial minutes despite the burn, and head coach Michael Malone isn't worried about it. "He's fine," Malone told reporters. "Just a floor burn."
If that's not enough to cool any concerned fans' nerves, the Canadian basketball player told ESPN's Malika Andrews that he's accustomed to hurting.
When Murray was younger, his father apparently put him through "pain tolerance drills," including balancing cups of hot tea on his quads while holding a squat. Wall sits featuring hot items seem like they would do the trick in raising a kid's pain threshold.
Jamal Murray has tape around his left hand (not his thumb) at practice. Michael Malone said it was just a floor burn. pic.twitter.com/o0IKFebZlV
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) June 8, 2023
With childhood preparation like that, it seems safe to guess that Murray won't miss a beat when the Nuggets visit Miami on Friday for Game 4.