Los Angeles Lakers v Denver Nuggets (Lakers Lead 2-0)
The Lakers were looking to put a stranglehold on this series after their thrilling buzzer-beating win in game two, but little did they know the Nuggets had them right where they wanted them. The Nuggets have been taking advantage of teams when they lose their intensity after they build their leads. You could see it in game two, and tonight in game three, the Nuggets came out and battered the Lakers.
The Nuggets came out hot and were able to take a small lead and kept that fire going through the second, growing their lead to 63-53. The Lakers didn’t get the motivational talk they needed at halftime because they came out flat. The Nuggets took full advantage and extended their lead to 93-75 going to the fourth.
The Lakers had one last push in them. They cut the lead down to three with 4:51 left, but that is as close as they would get. G Jamal Murray iced the game down the stretch for the Nuggets. They won 114-106 to get their first victory of the series.
The Lakers were led by F LeBron James (30PTS 10REB 11AST 2STL 2BLK 6TO 37MIN), who got a triple-double, but most of it came in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets sat a lot of people out to start. LeBron will talk about those six turnovers where he was a killer as he is their main facilitator and best passer. After his huge game-winner in game two, F Anthony Davis (27PTS 2REB 1AST 1STL 3TO) was soft in this game. He only had two total rebounds. He almost 7 feet tall, so needless to say, his effort was lacking.
The Nuggets were led by G Jamal Murray (28PTS 8REB 12AST 2STL 4TO 44MIN), who was the best passer and playmaker on the court tonight. It is tough to be the best playmaker when LeBron is on the court, but Murray was amazing tonight. The Lakers had absolutely no one who could stop him. C Nikola Jokic (22PTS 10REB 5AST 1STL 1BLK 5TO 37MIN) was his great self, but the contributions from F Jerami Grant (26PTS) and G Monte Morris (14PTS) were something the Nuggets lacked from the first two games.
The Lakers still hold the lead, and it will be interesting to see how the Nuggets handle game four. There is no pressure on them after this win, which seems to be the only time they can win.