#Jamal Murray sustained a next-level floor burn in Denver’s Game 3 win [Video]

The Denver Nuggets have a 2-1 NBA Finals advantage over the Miami Heat after Wednesday’s 109-94 win in Game 3. Jamal Murray was on display in that victory, recording 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists before the final buzzer.

It’s enough to be in awe of how well the guard combines with powerhouse center Nikola Jokić for the reliable Nuggets two-man game, but Murray was also playing through a pretty gross-looking hand injury.

ESPN’s Ros Gold-Onwude described the injury Wednesday on Twitter.

Murray showed reporters the floor burn on his left hand at Thursday’s practice. The photo Denver Post sportswriter Mike Singer shared of the injury shows just how much tissue the court wiped away. It’s not a type of basketball injury we see often.

As Gold-Onwude noted, Murray played substantial minutes despite the burn, and head coach Michael Malone isn’t worried about it. “He’s fine,” Malone told reporters. “Just a floor burn.”

If that’s not enough to cool any concerned fans’ nerves, the Canadian basketball player told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he’s accustomed to hurting.

When Murray was younger, his father apparently put him through “pain tolerance drills,” including balancing cups of hot tea on his quads while holding a squat. Wall sits featuring hot items seem like they would do the trick in raising a kid’s pain threshold.

With childhood preparation like that, it seems safe to guess that Murray won’t miss a beat when the Nuggets visit Miami on Friday for Game 4.

Originally published June 8, 2023 at 10:38 PM