標籤: AllNBA

The Denver Nuggets put on one of their best offensive performances of the season in a 142-135 win over the Dallas Mavericks, and Jamal Murray was once again at the center of the proceedings. Murray finished with 53 points on 19-28 shooting, another historic day amid a career season so far.

And according to a post on Vinny Benedetto’s X, Nuggets head coach David Edelman believes he’s in contention for the All-NBA First Team as well.

“I really hope All-NBA is something that’s obvious and there’s no argument,” Edelman said, referencing another “special night” for the 29-year-old.

According to The Athletic, Edelman claimed he has had several such nights this season before matching the accomplishments of both Murray and Nikola Jokic with Denver.

“It’ll be really cool when this thing is over and we look back at what these two have done together here. We’re really fortunate in this city to have these two guys playing for this basketball team,” he concluded.

Murray went 9-14 from beyond the arc and also had six rebounds and four assists. The guard had already scored 33 points at halftime, almost half of Denver’s 68 points in the first two quarters.

The Canadian international is having a career season, posting his best-ever averages of 25.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He is also making 7.4 three-pointers per game and 10.9 two-pointers per game, which are career highs.

In addition, Murray’s three-point efficiency (42.6%) this season is also slightly higher than his career-high 42.5%, which came during the 2023-24 season. These statistics have come along with several game-winning performances, with Murray already receiving his first All-Star call-up this season.

Of course, his coach also took this opportunity to praise Nikola Jokic, who returned with a spectacular triple-double of 23 points, 21 rebounds and 19 assists. Jokic reached 6,000 career assists despite shooting only 8-19 from the field during the game. The Nuggets shot 56% overall and 50% from three-point field, much of the credit for Murray’s almost obscene shooting in the game.

The 65-game rule is once again under scrutiny as Zach Lowe criticized the concept following an injury to Detroit Pistons star guard Cade Cunningham.

Cunningham has been playing at an incredible level this season, leading Detroit to serious playoff contention. However, his lung was damaged which would cause him to lose significant time.

NBA analyst Zach Lowe provided his thoughts on Cunningham’s injury during his March 19 show. Cunningham has played in 61 games so far this season and the team has 14 games remaining. It’s very possible he doesn’t play another regular season game this year. Lowe wants an exception where a minimum number of players can be named to third-team All-NBA.

“I get it. I get the reason why they’re doing it. They have to try to encourage the best players to play. Spoiler alert, it hasn’t worked. And I also remember saying, can you at least give me the flexibility to be like third-team All-NBA so I don’t have to follow this rule,” Lowe said at the 8:45 mark.

“Respect me as a voter, former voter now, maybe in the future, that I can actually analyze games played, impact, minutes played, team records, like I can put it all together and actually compare somebody who played 63 games versus somebody who played 72 games and maybe come to the conclusion that maybe the guy who played 63 games is better, or more valuable, or more deserving of All-NBA, but you Concluded I’m too stupid to do that.”

Cade Cunningham, what’s next for the Pistons

It’s brutal news for the Pistons to learn about Cade Cunningham. He hopes to make a full recovery while keeping his season as strong as possible without the services of the star guard.

Detroit boasts a 49–19 record on the season, finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings. They are 3.5 games up on the Boston Celtics and five games up on the New York Knicks.

Following Thursday night’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, the Pistons will be at home for their next contest. They host the Golden State Warriors as tip-off takes place on March 20 at 7:30 pm ET.

All-NBA conversations typically belong to well-established suspects, brand-name stars who have captured the discussion for the better part of two decades, even if those All-Stars are having a bad year. LeBron James and James Harden still remain at that level of talent. However, James Borrego’s new-look New Orleans Pelicans need to make a run for Trey Murphy III to join the club. The 25-year-old has been quietly building a statistical argument that rivals and surpasses the usual suspects in many areas.

This is not an exaggeration. This year’s figures show that it is time to make room for the Trigga tray. Designated stars with all-world resumes can act as one-man shows, shooting lights out and protecting the ball. Murphy III’s production, 22.6% of his field goals are unassisted, is going well. The swingman is shooting 38.6% from three-point range, sporting a 59.8 true shooting percentage, and can boast a 2.53 assist-to-turnover ratio on a 25.4% usage rate since New Year’s Day.

On the season, Murphy III is contributing 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals. In 2026, he is averaging 24.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.9 steals. Only 12 other players can say they are 22-5-4 over the last eight weeks. Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Cade Cunningham top that list. Exactly 22 players have averaged 21 points and 3.5 assists, making teammates better, and have played more than 45 games this season, further breaking down the All-NBA list.

The Pelicans have nothing to lose by gushing about Trey Murphy III’s speed during March Madness. If Trigga Trey is named to the All-NBA Third Team, his next contract and the city’s reputation will get a significant boost. If not, the Pelicans have four potential All-Stars returning next season with something to prove in Murphy III, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray and surprisingly great Saddiq Bey.

More than a few coaches will be calling the front office wanting to work with that core. Each of them will have to explain how they will maximize Trey Murphy III’s prime years. His All-Star potential eventually developed into All-NBA expectations.