LeBron James sent postgame flowers to the visiting locker room, saying this: “Once he gets going, it’s hard to turn him off, a guy that has that type of rhythm.
#A mess o trouble bubble series#
He’s now averaging 31 in this series on 52% shooting, 45% from deep. In that first half, Murray dropped buckets of all varieties, a continuation of his 37-point Game 2.
#A mess o trouble bubble cracked#
Well, they finally cracked the Murray Code in the second half, but only after he torched them for 30 points in the first. And the Lakers simply have no answer for him. His level of play over the last two games is the main reason the Nuggets are up 3-0. But Murray, if nothing else, is leaving quite the impression as someone who must be considered among the top performers in this postseason as well. It’s all but assured that Jokic will capture the Magic Johnson Award for most outstanding player in the West playoffs. This was probably his one stinker for the postseason. And that might not happen again in this series or, if the Nuggets advance as expected, at all in the NBA Finals. Now, for the bigger question: Was this just an exception by the Nuggets on an exceptional night? That depends on whether Jokic has another lapse. “We have a deep team and everyone’s ready to contribute.” could only manage a 1-point lead before the Nuggets snatched momentum back for good with a 13-0 run in the fourth. Jokic had nine points, six assists and four rebounds through three quarters and dealt with foul trouble he got his fourth with seven minutes left in the third and sat. Bruce Brown, Michael Porter Jr., Jeff Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all hit timely shots or made defensive plays that prevented the Lakers from taking advantage of the situation. It started when Jamal Murray couldn’t miss a first-half shot, and then others chimed in. The Nuggets were the most efficient team in the league with him on the floor and were among the worst when he wasn’t.īut for one night - and it couldn’t come on a more important night, given the stakes - Denver not only survived without much from Jokic, who missed a triple-double for the first time in five games, but thrived. Keep in mind that Jokic is the center of the Nuggets’ universe and when he’s either on the bench or in a rare funk, bad things happen to the Nuggets. This was, by far, the most impressive Everyone Else has been in a game this season for the Nuggets. Here are five takeaways from Denver’s Game 3 victory, its commanding lead in the best-of-seven, and the plunging plight of the Lakers: 1 seed in the West for a reason, as they constantly love to point that out in case anyone forgot. Remember when Lakers coach Darvin Ham said “we’ll be OK, trust me” after Game 1? Well, they’re not. Eddie Murphy beat the rush by leaving his courtside seat with four minutes left, and the crowd at Arena took a hint, following him out the door moments later.Īnd just like that, a Laker team that spent much of the regular season shoveling out of a mess of their making, find themselves covered in it all over again. There was plenty from Jamal Murray (30 of his 37 points in the first half) and enough from a variety of others to break away from the Lakers and breeze down the stretch. and they've pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination after a deep run. The Nuggets take a 3-0 series lead with a commanding victory in L.A. defense, yet Denver managed to win anyway, rare for a team so dependent on the multiple skills of their two-time Kia NBA MVP center.
He was mainly silent through three quarters, dogged by fouls and decent L.A.
What was especially comforting for the Nuggets is how they captured Game 3 with, by his standards, a mild effort from Nikola Jokic. In any event, it’s a 3-0 series lead for the Nuggets after their 119-108 victory Saturday and you don’t need yet another reminder that nobody has blown an advantage that big. The final shove of the Lakers off the 2022-23 ledge could arrive courtesy of a sweep Monday ( 8:30 ET, ESPN), or if the basketball gods have a heart - and the Lakers have a pulse - then it might take another game or two. LOS ANGELES - If history is our guide and remains unrelenting and inflexible, then it’s not a matter of if the Nuggets will be moving onto the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, it’s a matter of when. In his last two games, Jamal Murray is averaging 37 points, 8.5 rebounds, three steals and has made 11 3-pointers.
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