By The Canadian Press

Nuggets’ Murray ready to shoulder more as added responsibility comes with Jokic out

Jan 1, 2026 | 4:00 AM

TORONTO — Canadian Jamal Murray was back home for the first night of the next four weeks without his Denver Nuggets teammate, three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, on Wednesday.

Murray and the Nuggets survived a Toronto Raptors second-half rally to hang on for a 106-103 win before 19,181 at Scotiabank Arena.

Jokic suffered a hyperextended left knee in the dying seconds of the Nuggets’ loss on the road against the Miami Heat on Monday. He’s expected to miss a minimum of four weeks.

“We did enough, but I could have been better,” the 28-year-old from Kitchener, Ont., said.

Murray checked in with 21 points, shooting a poor 6-of-18 from the field, including 2-of-5 three-point attempts.

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In his ninth season, Murray has scored a career-high 25.2 points per game. His next best was last year at 21.4. But the entire basketball community knows that Murray will be the defensive focus of the opposition with Jokic on the sidelines.

“Jamal has been so good this year, man,” Nuggets head coach Dave Adelman said. “It’s just been a joy to watch. He’s playing basketball in such a free way. I just think he’s in a good place altogether. So, yeah, a lot of responsibility is coming his way, but he can handle it.

“Losing Nikola is losing one of the greatest players to ever live, bottom line. He could retire today, and we’d say that. But Jamal’s responsibility right now is to keep making the right play because he’s going to have attention beyond attention all over the floor.

“He’s going to get doubled and blitzed in pick and rolls. So, we have to do things for Jamal. We have to screen to get him open. We have to do unselfish things for him, and on the flip side of that, he has to continue to make the right play, which he has.”

Murray remarked he relishes the challenge.

“I need to play my own game, stay aggressive, stay composed and play quickly,” Murray said.

“But I’m also trying to stay unselfish.”

After scoring 13 points in the first half, Murray struggled in the final two quarters until the end. But he scored four of Denver’s final nine points to seal the deal in front of friends and family.

“I don’t take it for granted,” said Murray, whose hometown is an hour’s drive west of Toronto. “It’s a blessing.

“It’s always fun. Obviously, I got a lot of friends here, a lot of family.”

INGRAM’S SHOT

Brandon Ingram made his game-tying off-balance three-point jumper, but his attempt did not beat the buzzer. A video review determined that the ball was still on Ingram’s fingertips when time expired.

The Raptors guard was asked if he felt he had tied the game.

“I did,” said Ingram, who scored a game-high 30 points. “Maybe I need to cut my fingernails.”

The Raptors overcame a 21-point deficit at home to defeat the Orlando Magic on Monday. They fell behind by 13 points to the Nuggets in the second quarter, only to rally in the second half.

JV RETURNS

Former Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas received a warm ovation before the game when his face was shown on the scoreboard. The 33-year-old Lithuanian spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Raptors.

With Jokic on the sidelines, six-foot-11 Valanciunas hit season highs in points (17) and minutes (23) with nine rebounds before leaving late in the third quarter with a right calf strain.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2026.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press