Philadelphia 76ers guard Patrick Beverley claimed that he’s been locking up Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray “for years” after Philadelphia’s win over the Nuggets on Tuesday night.
Patrick Beverley on the keys to slowing Jamal Murray late: “No key. I’ve been locking his ass up for years.”
On his approach against a guy like Murray: “No approach. Normal day.” #Sixers
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) January 17, 2024
Murray finished Tuesday’s game with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting (1-for-3 from beyond the arc), but he struggled mightily in the fourth quarter, allowing Philly to pull away with the win.
The Nuggets guard shot 0-for-4 from the field in the final period, failing to score a single point. He had a plus/minus of minus-9 in the fourth quarter.
Beverley, who played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, clearly did a solid job on defense against Murray.
For his career, Murray has struggled when facing teams that have Beverley on them. The Nuggets guard is averaging 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 17 games versus Patrick Beverley in his career.
Those scoring numbers are below Murray’s career average of 17.1 points per game, and he’s averaging 20.5 points per game this season.
Still, Beverley may have forgotten one time when he didn’t get the best of Murray in his career.
One NBA writer pointed out that Murray had quite the showing against Beverley during the Sixers guard’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers. Murray had a massive series in the 2020 playoffs against the Clippers, leading Denver to the Western Conference Finals.
That series took place in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oh yeah, I remember when Patrick Beverley @patbev21 (cough) "LOCKED DOWN" Jamal Murray in the #Nuggets' 1-3 comeback vs the #Clippers in the 2000 WC semis, when Mal went for:
22.6 points (43.8 3-point%, 44.7 FG%)
6.4 assists
4.4 rebounds
1.3 stealsand a 40-piece to ice Game 7. https://t.co/gkvEY4d65Y pic.twitter.com/KGv8O0tVK4
— Joel Rush (@JoelRushNBA) January 17, 2024
There’s no doubt that Beverley is one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he clearly has a lot of confidence in his ability as well.
The Sixers’ win over the Nuggets was a big one, as the teams only play twice each season since they are in different conferences.
Philly has been elite at home this season, winning 16 of its 22 games at Wells Fargo Center.
Beverley, who signed with the Sixers in the offseason, has been a great addition for the team off the bench.
The veteran guard is averaging 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range. The defensive-minded Beverley has posted 0.8 defensive win shares for the Sixers this season and a defensive box plus/minus of 0.5.
