When the term “Playoff Jamal Murray” comes to mind, longtime fans — in all likelihood — immediately begin thinking about clutch bucket-getting, year-after-year scoring increases from regular-season to postseason, and half-Batman, half-Robin-type takeovers. As Jalen Williams and the Oklahoma City Thunder learned in Game Three’s overtime affair on May 9, 2025, that’s only the beginning. Tapped into “lockdown mode” against Oklahoma City’s first-time All-Star, Murray positions himself tightly enough to Williams’ dribble to become a second jersey. Countering a seemingly-successful spin move with a perfectly-timed swipe, Murray sequences his steal perfectly by putting Lu Dort through the whirlwind, first through a behind-the-back and then through one of his trademark, smooth-as-can-be layups. The math regarding “the winner of Game Three” is well-known, and with the experience edge in high-pressure games, Murray and the Denver Nuggets looked the part of a former title-winner in the extra period. Guiding the runaway, Murray closed with 27 points (on 9-of-19), four rebounds, eight assists, four steals, a block, and two triples, setting the stage for, eventually, a seven-game thriller. · May 10, 2025