Three things are certain in life. Death, taxes and Jamal Murray dropping random 40-point explosions in the NBA Playoffs.

The former Kentucky star, who averaged 20.0 points per game for the Wildcats in the 2015-16 season, took over last night and had a historic performance against the No. 5 seeded Los Angeles Clippers.

This series, between the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets and the Clippers, serves as one of the only first round matchups that remains competitive, with both teams winning two games a piece before the tip on April 29.

Murray, who had only scored 13 points in game four, went to on to record his sixth career 40-point postseason game, sinking eight threes and shooting 65.4% from the field, helping the Nuggets regain the series advantage.

In his 70 postseason matchups, Murray has the same amount of 40-point performances as he does in 536 regular season games, proof that the former Cat is one to fear when it matters most. He has also surpassed legends such as Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Tracy McGrady, Karl Malone and even his own teammate Nikola Jokic in 40-point playoff games.

The former champion is due for these type of performances every now and then and is capable of performing on the big stage, recording a 34-point triple double in the 2023 NBA Finals.

The Canada native and the Nuggets now hold a 3-2 lead, looking to send Kawhi Leonard and James Harden packing on May 1 and begin the road back to the NBA Finals.

For the first time this season, Kentucky baseball has won back-to-back conference series, beating the Tennessee Volunteers and the South Carolina Gamecocks in consecutive weekends.

After they dropped the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Kentucky put up 11 runs on Sunday, April 27, where eight different Wildcats recorded a hit and six different Cats recorded an RBI.

This season has been painfully unfortunate for Kentucky, playing in countless extra-inning games and losing 10 matchups by two runs or less.

However, the Wildcats hold a 6-2 record in their last eight games, where they’ve averaged over seven runs a game and have continued their “by any means possible” offense, sitting just one game under .500 in SEC play.

The vibes, with a turning point in the season, have been great. The Cats are having fun.

As the regular season continues to wither away, the Wildcats still have several proving grounds awaiting them on their schedule.

On Tuesday, April 29, the Wildcats will travel to Nick Denes Field to face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, a team who isn’t a blow over. Although the Hilltoppers were just swept on the road by FIU, the team holds a 34-10 record and have only lost one game at home.

Nationally, this would be seen as a very quality win for the Bat Cats.

This upcoming weekend, the Wildcats were gearing up for a scrappy series against a bubble-sitting Mississippi State team, but after Head Coach Chris Lemonis has been relieved of his duties, we’re now in for an even more interesting outcome.

Regardless, Kentucky will be looking to continue its hot streak.

The Wildcats remaining schedule consists of:

April 29 @ Western Kentucky (34-10)

May 2-4 @ Mississippi State (25-19, 7-14 SEC)

May 9-11 vs. No. 21 Oklahoma (30-13, 11-10 SEC)

May 13 vs. Northern Kentucky (24-18)

May 15-17 @ No. 14 Vanderbilt (31-13, 12-9 SEC)

All rankings are provided from Baseball America.

Before the Tennessee series, the Bat Cats sat at a 20-14 (6-9 SEC) record, one that indicated that the back half of the season would need to look a little different for Kentucky to keep climbing the ladder and host a third consecutive Regional.

Kentucky spent the first half of SEC play competing in nothing but close series and often came up short, resulting in its RPI to take a fall.

Now, winning a series in Knoxville for the first time since 2016 and shredding the rival Louisville Cardinals in a midweek game, the Wildcats have won three straight ranked matchups and have jumped up nearly 11 spots.

This scrappy Kentucky team is currently projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and will host the South Carolina Gamecocks this weekend.

For a team that is 3-9 on the road and barely sitting on the bubble for the big dance, it’s safe to say this is Kentucky’s series and the Cats should dominate at Kentucky Proud Park.

Not only is the Kentucky offense coming off of a run-rule win where it scored 17 runs, the starting rotation has established itself as one of the best in the conference.

Nic McCay, the SEC Pitcher of the Week, has the best opponent batting average in the SEC (.177) and Ben Cleaver has been dealing lately with one of the best ERAs in the conference.

It’ll be fun to see the Wildcats potentially play in another rainy series in Lexington, looking to stay red hot and sweep an underwhelming Gamecocks team.

Make sure to follow our Twitter (X) (@KyInsider) for all weather updates this weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tonight and will air live on SEC Network+.

The Wildcats remaining confrence schedule consists of:

April 25-27 vs. South Carolina 

May 2-4 @ Mississippi State 

May 9-11 vs. No. 11 Oklahoma 

May 15-17 @ No. 8 Vanderbilt 

All rankings are provided from Baseball America.