Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ontario set the record on Wednesday for the most points scored in a National Basketball Association game by a Canadian. Murray had 55 points in a 132-121 Nuggets win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Murray broke the record previously set by Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, who had 54 points in a 123-114 Thunder win over the Utah Jazz on January 22. Gilgeous-Alexander’s record lasted only three weeks.
In the Nuggets’s win over the Trail Blazers, Murray made 20 of 36 field goals, seven of 15 shots from three point attempts, and eight of nine free throw attempts. Murray also had five assists, four rebounds, and two steals, and was a +26.
This was the fourth time in Murray’s career he has scored 50+ points in a game. He also had 50 points in a 129-127 Nuggets loss to the Jazz on August 23, 2020 in game four of the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, 50 points in a 119-107 Nuggets win over the Jazz on August 30, 2020 in game six of the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs, and 50 points in a 120-103 Nuggets win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 19, 2021.
This season, Murray is averaging 21 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game. He has a field goal percentage of .471, three point percentage of .375, and free throw percentage of .872.
The Nuggets have won eight straight games and are now in third place in the Western Conference. They are at 36 wins and 19 losses.
