Nuggets NBA Championship Odds Fade to +3000 With Jamal Murray Tearing ACL in Left Knee

• Jamal Murray is out for the season after tearing his ACL on Monday night
• The Nuggets were surging in the Western Conference and their title chances have taken a massive hit
• Does Murray’s injury rule the Nuggets out of contention? See updated 2021 Championship odds below

Since acquiring Aaron Gordon at the trade deadline, the Denver Nuggets were on the charge. Their NBA Championship odds were shortening.

Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr, Gordon, Will Barton and Jamal Murray had become the best line-up in the Association. Denver’s season took another massive turn on Monday night, however, as Murray suffered a season-ending injury.

Murray went to the ground in agony late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, an injury that looked bad turned out to be just as serious as everyone feared. A torn ACL in Murray’s left knee will rule him out for the remainder of this season and the majority of next.

As a result, Denver’s odds to win the NBA title at FanDuel have fallen to +3000.

2021 NBA Championship Odds

Odds as of Apr 13th

Denver’s Empty Backcourt

There’s no overstating Jamal Murray’s importance to the Nuggets. He was superhuman throughout the playoffs in the Orlando bubble, and while Nikola Jokic is the overwhelming frontrunner for MVP, Murray is the unquestioned second-in-command.

The Jokic and Murray two-man game is a staple of Denver’s offense. Murray is often their go-to scorer, and he has made a habit of hitting difficult shots.

The Nuggets score 8.4 more points per 100 possessions with Murray on the court. He’s developed into a good defender, having occasionally lost concentration on that end earlier in his career. The Murray who broke out in the bubble is an All-Star caliber player, and any team will be impacted when they lose a player with that much talent.

This is particularly impactful to the Nuggets, though. They have the playmaking to still be a great offense in Jokic and Aaron Gordon. Michael Porter Jr can cover for the loss of Murray’s shot-making. Filling Murray’s minutes is not straight forward, however, after Gary Harris was included in the Gordon trade.

Monte Morris will step up from excellent backup guard to starting point guard. Facundo Campazzo moves from fun bench piece to integral rotation option. They become very reliant on PJ Dozier.

How the Nuggets Look

While Murray’s offensive fireworks are what first comes to mind, he will be missed on defense too. Denver depleted their backcourt depth with the Gordon trade. Mike Malone will suddenly be asking a lot of Monte Morris on both ends down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Jamal Murray was helped off the court after an apparent knee injury with 50 seconds left against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/sz7akzOiq4

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 13, 2021

More shots for Porter and Barton can go some of the way to compensating for Murray’s offense. The problem, though, is fit. The Nuggets had just crafted the perfect lineup, and losing Murray generates a lot of questions.

Not only are Denver losing their second-best player, this is a blow for neutrals. The Nuggets were the hot team in the West, ready to make a Finals push after a win-now deadline move. Murray’s injury changes everything, and likely caps their ceiling as a second-round team.

Wait for Longer Price Before Betting

Injuries are everywhere in the NBA. Denver still has the potential MVP, a phenomenal young talent in Porter and a couple of great complementary pieces. It’s not impossible they go on a run against the odds, particularly if other key players are ruled out come the postseason.

Jamal Murray was having a career year this season.

21.2 PPG
4.8 APG
1.3 SPG
2.7 3PG

47.7 FG%
40.8 3P%
55.9 eFG%
59.2 TS%

Injuries suck. pic.twitter.com/nQFx5JtlHr

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 13, 2021

With the depth of the Western Conference, it would take a remarkable chain of events for the Nuggets to make it to the Conference Finals, let alone win the Championship. Ultimately, that’s why this injury is such a shame.

The Nuggets still have enough on their roster to take a series deep against the West’s premier teams, but their title odds will need to lengthen further before they can even be considered as a long shot bet.