As the 2020 National Basketball Association Playoffs officially start on Monday, there are two Canadians to watch out for. Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ontario is set to be in the starting five for the Denver Nuggets at point guard, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, is set to be the starting shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nuggets are set to play the Utah Jazz in the first round, while the Thunder are to play the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference quarterfinals. The entire NBA Playoffs are to be played in Orlando, Florida.
In 59 games this season, Murray is averaging 18.5 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, 4.0 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals per game. He has a field goal percentage of .456, three-point percentage of .346, and free throw percentage of .881. Murray had a season-high 39 points twice in 2019-20. The first time came in a Nuggets’ 131-114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged even more points per game than Murray. He had 19 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and like Murray, 1.1 steals per game. Gilgeous-Alexander had a field goal percentage of .471, three-point percentage of .347, and a free throw percentage of .807.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a season-high 32 points thrice for the Thunder in the 2019-20 regular season. All three games came in Thunder wins. They came on December 20, in a 126-108 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, on December 22 in a 131-114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and on December 29 in a 98-97 win over the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
