The Denver Nuggets are sitting at 2-1 in the NBA Cup, and with just one game left, they are tied at the top of West Group C with the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, the Trail Blazers have already beaten them in their lone NBA Cup matchup, giving Portland the immediate tiebreaker if they finish with the same record.
Luckily for the Nuggets, even if they do not win their group, they have the potential to advance to the knockout rounds by securing the “wild card” spot, but they are certainly on the brink of elimination.
Ahead of Friday’s NBA Cup group play finale against the San Antonio Spurs, Nuggets star Jamal Murray was asked if the team plays with some extra motivation for these games.
“I mean, there’s emphasis, obviously,” Murray answered. “It’s a great bonus, and guys want to go to Vegas and have some fun. So I think it’s a good little motivation to go out there and play hard. The atmosphere is always great, so they make our job easy.”
Does Denver’s goal change in NBA Cup games?
Even though Murray says that the team plays with a bit of extra motivation for these NBA Cup games, the end goal remains the same, even though Friday’s game is a must-win to keep their hopes alive.
“You try to win every game. You can’t pay too much attention to it,” Murray rebutted. “Just go out there and play. Play how you normally play. Play hard. You know, don’t put too much pressure on it. At the end of the day, it’s still one game if you don’t go. We’re just trying to make each game count.”
Sure, the Nuggets could be playing with some extra motivation for Friday’s must-win NBA Cup finale, but it is not the end of the world if they do not advance to the knockout rounds. However, it is much easier for Murray, who is on a $207.8 million contract, to say that than for one of their two-way players who could greatly benefit from the $500,000 bonus they would get if they won the NBA Cup.
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