In spite of a strained calf, Jamal Murray scored 32 points and made the game-winning basket with 3.6 seconds remaining as the Denver Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 on Monday night to eliminate LeBron James from the postseason once more.
With 26 seconds remaining, James’ two free throws tied the score at 106. The Nuggets, like they did in Game 2, decided not to call a timeout, and Murray grabbed the ball on a high screen and rolled to his left, upsetting Austin Reaves as he crossed the lane and swished the 14-foot shot.
Murray scoring the game-winning basket gave Nuggets coach Michael Malone “the utmost confidence,” according to Malone. “I didn’t call a timeout because of this. Allow the top two-game players in the industry to go to their locations and play their games.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 26 points, while Nikola Jokic, who had an unusual seven turnovers, came dangerously close to recording his 19th career playoff triple-double with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists.
In the second half, Davis banged his left shoulder against MPJ, appearing to be bothered. James finished with 30 points, 11 assists, and 15 rebounds.
The Nuggets will play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round beginning the following weekend. Beginning that series in Denver, home of the Nuggets, who lead the Western Conference with a record of 36-8, including 3-0 in the postseason.
Not that it has been simple.
The Nuggets are a wounded team that could use some rest. They trailed for roughly three-fourths of the minutes in this series and struggled through protracted shooting slumps.
The Nuggets defeated the Lakers for the twelfth time in their previous 13 meetings, having previously defeated them in the Western Conference finals last summer en route to the team’s first NBA title.
The Phoenix Suns defeated Los Angeles in six games in 2021, the only other time James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
James has made 17 visits to the playoffs, and this was the shortest of them. He is currently 183-104 overall, with a 41-13 series record and four championships.
Murray was given the all-clear to play by his doctor after warming up with an ice pack on his injured calf. For the first time in the series, Denver led (28–24) at the end of the first half despite him not being his typical explosive self on drives to the hoop. He finished the first half with 16 points, including 12 in the first quarter.
The Nuggets went on a 21-10 run to take an 81-79 lead into the fourth quarter, which was close until the buzzer. The Lakers had led 53-50 at halftime and had extended the lead to nine points.
Before the game, when he let Murray play, Malone described it as an emotional scene.
He said to me, “I’m glad I played tonight because I don’t know if we win if I don’t.” Malone recalled, “I said, ‘Well, that’s the understatement of the year.” “Dude, that kid is a fighter. The child just keeps getting better in every situation.
Despite pushing the reigning champions to the limit in each of the five games, Taurean Prince missed a disputed half-court shot with seconds remaining, forcing the Lakers to leave the game early.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham stated, “I couldn’t be more proud of our crew despite everything that happened.” “It is evident that the series did not go as planned and that we did not start off strong, but our guys showed incredible bravery, character, and tenacity to fight through to win that game at home and to win this one today.”
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