Questionable going into the game with a calf strain and with trainers not wanting him to play, Jamal Murray has done it again.
The Denver Nuggets star, after his wild buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the series, hit another game-winner on Monday night to officially clinch their opening-round playoff series over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Murray, with the game tied in the final seconds and with ice water in his veins, hit a jumper over the outstretched arm of Austin Reaves from just inside the free throw line to seal the 108-106 victory over the Lakers. His shot went through the net with just under four seconds left, which was not enough time for the Lakers to create a good look and respond as they had no timeouts left in their back pocket.
That officially gave the Nuggets the 4-1 series win over the Lakers, and sent them into the Western Conference semifinals. They will go head-to-head against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who swept and vanquished the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series on Sunday.
“I’m speechless. It’s a dream come true,” Murray said on TNT. “All these fans on your side to get it done in this fashion, I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy for us.”
The Lakers, who were swept by the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals in 2023, have now gone down in the opening round of the playoffs twice in the last four seasons, which is unacceptable by a LeBron James-led team, even in year 21.
After the Lakers held a meager lead at half time, thanks to a 12-0 surge in the second quarter to bounce back from an early hole, they nearly lost Anthony Davis right out of the break.
Davis took a seemingly routine shot to his left shoulder after colliding with Michael Porter Jr. in the opening minutes of the second half. The two ran into each other in the middle of the lane, and Davis immediately fell down to the court hard. He remained down for several minutes, clearly in a significant amount of pain, before he finally got up and walked over to the bench.
The shot itself did not look like anything out of the ordinary, but it appeared to hit Davis in exactly the right location to leave an impact. He toughed it out and remained in the game after a timeout, but was favoring his neck and his arm was seen just dangling several times over the next few possessions. He had 16 points and nine rebounds at that point. He finished with 17 points and 15 boards.
Despite the injury, the Lakers extended their advantage to nine points briefly near the six-minute mark of the period after a huge 3-pointer from James. Davis, however, was a shell of himself and was used mostly as a decoy. When he collected his 10th rebound of the night, he immediately grabbed for his shoulder in pain.
That nine-point lead quickly evaporated for the Lakers. The Nuggets then rattled off a 19-5 run to take the lead just a few minutes later, which included a critical 3-pointer from Porter despite taking a big shot that sent him to the floor.
Davis had to briefly exit the game and go back to the locker room late in the quarter, but he returned to the court to start the fourth. Though the Lakers vaulted back into the lead midway through the final period, it did not last long. Murray put in four quick points and deposited a massive dunk over James and immediately flexed on him under the rim.
The teams went back and forth in the final minutes, but Murray swished a huge 3-pointer to put the Nuggets back up by two with a minute left. James, who has been much maligned for his free throw shooting, went to the strike and calming sank a pair to knot the game at 106, setting up Murray’s game winner.
Embed from Getty ImagesMurray led the Nuggets with 32 points and seven dimes, and he went 5-of-10 from 3-point land. Porter added 26 points, and Nikola Jokić finished just one assist shy of a triple-double with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.
James finished just one rebound away from a triple-double in his own right for the Lakers. He had 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the loss while shooting 11-of-21 from the field. Reaves added 19.
There was a familiar expression on James’ face during his exit interview with the media, not too long after the familiar feeling settled in of being sent home by the defending champs in the postseason.
His goal of the press conference was to leave everyone hanging on his every word, on the mere possibility, it’s showtime at the Apollo, only in a back room in Denver, while the cheers of Nuggets faithful continued into the night.
“Uhhh, I’m not gonna answer that. Appreciate it,” James replied when asked if this night, an emotion-filled, competitively soaked and ultimately draining night, would be his last in a Laker uniform.
As stated previously, the Nuggets will now take on the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals starting on Saturday in Denver. Minnesota swept the Phoenix Suns in their series on Sunday night in what was their first playoff series in in two decades.
What is next for the Lakers could be a major shakeup. Head coach Darvin Ham could very well find himself unemployed after just two years on the job with Los Angeles. After the season-ending loss, Ham seemed to make a bleak statement about his time with the Lakers, which made many people feel like that was likely his last game with the franchise.
“It’s been a hell of a two years sitting in this seat, I’ll tell you that. It’s been a hell of a two years.”
