NBA
- Nuggets beat the Lakers 119-108 and lead 3-0 in the series
- Jamal Murray scored 30 of the game’s best 37 points in the first half
Associated Press
Sun 21 May 2023 04:30 BST
Nikola Jokic was far from his usual dominance in his foul problems and Jamal Murray cooled off after his racy first half. The Denver Nuggets’ big early lead vanished completely in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and the Lakers home crowd was in an excitement.
The Nuggets weathered every setback, taking control calmly, methodically, and with an attitude worthy of a champion.
With another win, they finally get the chance to gamble for their first rings.
Murray scored 37 points, Jokic added 24 points and eight assists and the Nuggets took a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals with a 119-108 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 second-half points against his former team of top-seeded Nuggets, who have come this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. Denver is making the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year and the final round is just one win away.
“I learn a lot about this team every time we play,” Caldwell-Pope said. “We have this canine mentality where whether we’re doing well or not, we’re going to keep fighting and playing our game, and at a high level. We will do that for the rest of these games as well.”
Denver gambled away a 14-point lead in Game 3 but pulled off a crucial 13-0 run in the fourth quarter, ending the Lakers’ nine home-game winning streak since March 26, including seven straight wins since the end of the regular season . According to coach Michael Malone, the Nuggets excelled all the way through as Murray and Jokic kept performing a two-man pick-and-roll game suggested by “Coach Jokic.”
“This group has the ability to do great things and they believe in it,” Malone said. “Faith is a very powerful thing.”
No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoff series in NBA history. Game 4 takes place Monday night in Los Angeles.
“I can’t speak for the guys right now because I don’t know what’s on everyone’s mind, but I (think) still do,” said LeBron James, who had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. “So it’s time to go straight home and start refueling, start the treatment and the recovery process and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always stuck.”
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who had not lost three straight games since early February. Los Angeles’ ongoing, desperate rebound since the trade deadline has finally lost steam against the strong Nuggets, who have won five straight playoff games.
“They’re at the top of the food chain for a reason and they have a lot of people who can hurt you, as you could see clearly tonight,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham. “But you know, circumstances are what they are. Difficult, but not impossible.”
James hit three threes after starting the series 0 for 13 from distance, and Austin Reaves added 23 points and seven rebounds. But Rui Hachimura was the only other Lakers scorer to hit double figures with 13 points, and they were unable to match the Nuggets’ level shot as the game progressed.
“We’ve probably had our backs to the wall for two months, maybe longer since the close,” Reaves said. “Swing, hit, to fight, to seize this opportunity. … We can either come out on Monday and go home, or we can fight for another day. And with the group of people we have, I know what that answer will be.”
Jokic’s streak of four straight triple-doubles ended in a fairly quiet game for the two-time MVP, who suffered his fourth foul in the third quarter. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamic first quarter after scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter two nights ago, and by halftime in Game 3 he had 30 points.
Bruce Brown scored 15 points and hit an important three-pointer for the Nuggets before Jokic nearly thwarted a three-pointer with 3:17 to go.
The Lakers’ fervent fans flocked to the first Conference Finals games of the 17-time champion franchise at home since 2010. Los Angeles was desperate to get back in the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 sprained the top of his already sore right foot.
But the Nuggets’ flight to shore didn’t cool Murray in the slightest: the Canadian guard had 17 points in the first quarter and had 26 points midway through the second quarter. Reaves racked up 15 points, three assists and three rebounds in the second quarter alone, keeping LA in the game.
Hachimura’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter put the Lakers ahead for the first time in minutes, but the Nuggets took the lead again in a rally that ended with Brown’s three-pointer with 7:02 left of the game was highlighted, after which he taunted the Lakers bench with Los Angeles’ own “Freeze” three-point celebration.
D’Angelo Russell had another tough game for the Lakers, scoring three points on 1 of 8 shots in 20 minutes. The Lakers’ biggest signing in their trade-deadline transformation has just 21 points in the streak.
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