It was a tale of two halves. The Denver Nuggets almost choked away a 27-point lead in the second half of their 95-92 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night, but a pair of free throws from Jamal Murray were the last points to go on the board. It was fitting, those free throws eliminated the possibility of a loss in regular time, a loss the Nuggets might have taken if not for Murray’s performance.

The Blue Arrow exploded in a way we know he’s capable of but haven’t seen for some time. Murray finished the game with 33 points on 12-for-19 on the floor. As the first half came to a close, it felt as though he couldn’t miss if he’d wanted to. The game came easily to Murray on Tuesday night—there was a gracefulness and swagger to his play that’s been absent of late.

The Nuggets needed that performance.

WATCH Murray’s highlights: