Jamal Murray took a step toward changing the NBA narrative during the clutch moments of Tuesday’s win over the Warriors.

Soon after Murray returned to the court with the Nuggets down nine in the final 6 minutes, Golden State began hunting him. Murray initially matched up with Andrew Wiggins, but the Warriors often used Wiggins as a screener for Stephen Curry, who was guarded by Christian Braun, in hopes of getting Murray switched onto one of the game’s most lethal scorers.

“Steph, man, you can play defense on him, play good defense. He passes it, and then you’ve got to chase him wherever he’s going,” Murray said after helping the Nuggets to a 119-115 win.

“Then, you’ve got to talk if you’re going to switch. I think that’s the tough part. When he gives it up, everybody has to know where he’s going to be.”

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The first sequence Golden State targeted Murray ended up with Michael Porter Jr. switching onto Curry. That led to a missed floater from Moses Moody, who Murray picked up after the switch.

A couple minutes later, Murray ended up on an island with Curry, who started driving to his left before he slipped the ball behind his back and got a step-back 3. Murray’s contest forced Curry to shoot long.

Golden State’s next trip down ended with Curry hitting a fadeaway jumper, despite solid defense from Murray.

“Take it personal,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone summarized his message to Murray when teams go at him defensively. “They’re calling you up for a reason, and prove to them that you’re not that guy, because in this league, the streets talk. If you’re that guy, you’re going to be called up every night. So, sit down, guard, and I thought Jamal had some really good possessions late in the game when they were doing that.”

The trend continued with the Nuggets down four in the final 2 minutes, and Murray took another step toward changing the narrative. Again matched up against Curry in isolation, Murray channeled the Warriors guard toward his help. When Curry dished the ball off, Murray left his man and ended up swatting Jonathan Kuminga’s dunk attempt away. It was Murray’s third block of the game.

“I kind of already had momentum, going down there with Steph. I was sliding, sliding. Whoever was down there stepped up. It was a good pass, and I was already moving,” Murray said. “I timed it, got it and we went the other way.”

After securing the defensive rebound, Murray got out in transition, drew Kevon Looney’s sixth foul and hit a couple of free throws to bring the Nuggets within two points with 1:48 left. Those were the final two of his 12 points, on as many shots, for the night.

“Jamal’s just got to stay with it. He didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, (but he had) eight assists, one turnover,” Malone said. 

“Just because you’re not shooting the ball well, you can still do other things to help your team win. The plays that Jamal made, that Russ (Westbrook) made, that CB (Braun), that loose ball that he came up with, those are winning plays at the end of a close game that is hanging in the balance. I’m proud of our guys for making all of those winning plays down the stretch.”

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Murray again cut off a Curry drive on a possession that ended with Gary Payton II missing a 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds of the shot clock.

Nikola Jokic tied the game on the other end.

Then, Golden State changed its plan of attack. With 1 minute left, Payton, guarded by Jokic, set a screen on Murray. The NBA’s leader for made 3s in a career got a good look but missed again.

Aaron Gordon hit the go-ahead free throws with 49 seconds left.

Murray capped his clutch defensive performance with the Nuggets clinging to a two-point lead in the final 30 seconds. After Wiggins fell to the court, Murray was quick to get in the mix and rip the ball free.

Jokic made the most of the extra possession by sinking a pair of free throws that made it a four-point game with 14 seconds left.

One more stop from the Nuggets sealed the deal.

“Defense, defense, defense, We just communicated. We locked up. We covered for each other. I thought the one-on-one defense at the end was great. We got stops,” Murray said.

“We’re going to miss and make shots. We know that. I know that, but the defense … you can always win a game like that.”