AP Photo/David Zalubowski
By PAT GRAHAM
DENVER — Jamal Murray shot and made 16 free throws. The entire Minnesota Timberwolves team went to the line 19 times.
It was a discrepancy not lost on Minnesota coach Chris Finch.
“Well, the 16 free throws from Murray was a head scratcher,” Finch said after a 116-105 loss to the Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round series Saturday. “I thought we played really good defense on him.”
Murray, though, begs to differ.
“I thought I got fouled on every single one of them,” Murray said after finishing with 30 points. “I don’t know what everybody’s talking about. Real fouls.”
By going 16 of 16, Murray earned a spot in the Nuggets’ record book. It’s the most free throws without a miss in a playoff game in team history, breaking the mark of 14 by Bryant Stith at Utah on May 17, 1994. It’s the most free throws Murray has attempted in a game in his NBA career.
When his long-range jumper wasn’t falling — he was 0 for 8 from the 3-point line — Murray simply took it closer to the hoop. He shot eight free throws in the second quarter alone.
“A lot of those ones in the second quarter, we were there,” Finch said. “We were physical. We were vertical. He initiates the contact, he spills away and then he gets rewarded for it.
“Sixteen free throws is a lot. It’s almost as many as we shot all game.”
Murray and Nikola Jokic were quite a 1-2 combo. Jokic finished with his 22nd playoff triple-double. He had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Denver improved to 15-7 when Jokic has a triple-double in a postseason game.
It was Murray’s show for much of the game. He also had seven assists and five rebounds in more than 39 minutes.
“He’s been so good all year,” said Nuggets coach David Adelman, whose team gears up for Game 2 on Monday night. “Jamal has been Jamal all year, tough-minded.”
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is finding his stride, too, as he rounds back from a right knee injury. He had 22 points and seven assists in just over 38 minutes.
“It wasn’t the Ant we’re used to seeing, but is pretty much as expected in where he is in trying to find his rhythm,” Finch explained.
Edwards felt the same way.
“A little fatigued,” Edwards said. “Other than that I felt good.”
Edwards was 6 of 7 from the foul line.
“Jamal helped them. He shot, what 19 — how many free throws did he shoot?” Edwards said, looking down at the stat sheet. “Sixteen for sixteen from the free-throw line. So that helped them a lot.”
*Associated Press
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