NBA world left stunned by ‘most disgusting’ last-second choke
A horror choke at the buzzer is dropping jaws across the NBA in one of the ugliest brain snaps to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
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It should have been a basic 4-on-1 fast break to tie the game but instead the Denver Nuggets choked in horror fashion on Friday.
Trailing by two points 112-110 with five seconds on the clock, Jamal Murray had possession and a lone Washington Wizards defender on him.
To his right, the Denver point guard had two teammates; both of them taking up position beyond the three-point line.
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Instead of cutting to the rim, both Michael Porter Jr. and Facu Campazzo stuck on the perimeter as Murray picked up his dribble at the three-point line.
With Monte Morris then catching up to the play — and also standing to catch-and-shoot — but momentum lost, Murray was forced to throw what he labelled a “bad pass” to Campazzo, who rushed a three that bounced out as time expired; the Wizards somehow holding on.
It left those watching on in complete disbelief.
Nuggets had a 3-1 fastbreak to win the game and had more than enough time to go to the rim. But Murray, Morris, Campazzo, Porter all space out to the 3-point line. Somehow it's Campazzo who takes the shot. He had time to hit MPJ in the corner. Nuggets drop another to the Wizards. pic.twitter.com/zKPXGb7LEQ
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) February 26, 2021
This is terrible. Scared of overtime. https://t.co/omQdg2dB6o
— Baron Davis (@BaronDavis) February 26, 2021
This is the most disgusting fastbreak in the freaking history of basketball. You need 2 to tie at home and three robots stop at the 3 pt line in unison. Hey a win for Analytics. A 3 is worth more. Smh. #Nuggets#wizards#fastbreakbasketballhttps://t.co/Xq0inmLtvN
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) February 26, 2021
What the Facu just happened on the Nuggetsâ last possession?!
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 26, 2021
I blame analytics on this... https://t.co/QSnU1qDpAW
— ð Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) February 26, 2021
Murray himself, who finished with 34 points, six assists and six rebounds, took to social media to show his regret over the blunder.
My fault Nuggets nation.. on to the next one.. STICK WITH US!!
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) February 26, 2021
This angle.. pic.twitter.com/VBCpMqTcEZ
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) February 26, 2021
The dissection will not be enjoyable for the Nuggets and it had already begun with reporters post-game.
“When I’m bringing the ball up, I have to either shoot the ball, or hit Mike, who I thought was going to the rim,” Murray said, per the Denver Post.
“But I didn’t shoot it, so that’s why I put this game on me. … I just talked to coach though. I’ll shoot next time.”
“There should’ve definitely been a cut to the rim,” Porter added. “At the beginning, we all just were thinking, get behind the 3-point line. Let’s win it and go home.”
Porter Jr. did add though that there was logic to him running to the corner instead of cutting to the basket.
“Another thing in basketball is the first person out in transition, run to the corner,” he said.
“And that’s what we teach. You usually run to the corner. … Usually, when you’re running in transition, you’re thinking, ‘Man, get to that corner for that three.’”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone though said: “All Michael Porter’s gotta do is cut to the basket. All Jamal Murray has to do is push the ball and attack.”
“In that situation, we should be running for a layup. The layup was there. It didn’t happen, so you learn from it.”
Originally published as NBA world left stunned by ‘most disgusting’ last-second choke