The Denver Nuggets have so far had all the answers they’ve needed for the Los Angeles Lakers, and now they’re one game away from a sweep.
Behind 37 points from Jamal Murray, the Nuggets won Game 3 119-108 on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. If the Nuggets win Game 4 in Los Angeles on Monday, they will face the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics for the first title in franchise history.
No team has ever come back from down 3-0 in an NBA playoff series.
It was not an easy win for Denver, which has played with a chip on its shoulder all series against the NBA’s marquee team.
MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic had maybe his quietest game of the postseason (which is saying something considering he still had 24 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds) and dealt with foul trouble most of the game. The Lakers once again enjoyed a free-throw disparity, this time outshooting the Nuggets 29-19. LeBron James (23 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds) and Anthony Davis (28 points, 18 rebounds) both looked like their terrifying selves, or at least a step away from them.
The Nuggets won by avoiding the mistakes that the Lakers typically force, committing only five turnovers, and by getting solid games from almost every member of their rotation, most notably Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who combined for 32 points.
A brilliant half from each of the Nuggets’ stars didn’t hurt either, nor did another ghastly game from D’Angelo Russell (3 points on 1-of-8 shooting).
Jamal Murray scores 30 points in the first half
The first half was the Murray show, as the Nuggets’ standout guard followed up an unreal Game 2 performance with 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting in the first two quarters. Per the NBA’s numbersMurray’s 53 points in the fourth quarter of Game 2 and first half of Game 3 is the most by a player in a three-quarter span in the playoffs since 1988.
Murray catching fire put the Nuggets up by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, but they didn’t put away the Lakers. Thanks to a quiet half from Jokic (5 points on 2-of-8 shooting), a free throw disparity (18 attempts to the Nuggets’ seven), and a great start from Davis, the Lakers only trailed 58-55 at the half .
The second half was different in many ways. For starters, Murray all but disappeared, going scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. Jokic woke up a bit, as did James, who made his first two 3-pointers of the series on back-to-back plays.
The Nuggets led for much of the second half, and finally started pulling away midway through the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run.
At that point, Jokic had fully come alive, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter. Lakers fans were walking out of Crypto.com Arena in the final two minutes, and you have to wonder if they’ll be coming back Monday.