DENVER — Jamal Murray scored 32 points despite dealing with a calf strain, sinking the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left. The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 in Game 5 on Monday, bouncing LeBron James out of the playoffs once again. night.
James’ two free throws with 26 seconds left tied the score at 106, and the Nuggets avoided a timeout, just like they did in Game 2, when Murray stole the ball on a high screen and rolled to his left, shaking Austin Reeves. Crossed through. He ran the lane and swung 14 feet.
Murray’s buzzer beater won Game 2.
“This time it was a little better,” Mura said as confetti swirled around him and his celebrating teammates.
Nikola Jokic committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers but had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists, just missing his 19th career playoff triple-double, and Michael Porter Jr. scored 26 points.
James had 30 points and 11 assists, and Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds, but he appeared to be worried towards the end after being hit in the left shoulder by MPJ in the second half.
The Nuggets have advanced to play the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round starting next weekend.
That series begins in Denver, where the Nuggets have a Western Conference-best 36-8 record, including 3-0 in the playoffs.
It’s never easy.
The Nuggets were behind for about three-quarters of the game in this series, but they overcame a long shooting slump and are a solid team that will definitely use the remaining time.
The Nuggets defeated the Lakers in last summer’s Western Conference Finals, aiming for the franchise’s first NBA championship, and it was their 12th victory over the Lakers in their past 13 games.
The only time James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs was in 2021, when the Phoenix Suns beat Los Angeles in six games.
Therefore, this is the shortest of James’ 17 trips to the playoffs, and he currently has a total of 183 wins, 104 losses, a 41-13 series record and four titles.
After warming up with an ice pack applied to his injured calf, Murray received medical clearance to play. Although he wasn’t his usual explosive self on drives to the basket at first, he scored 16 points in the first half alone, including a game that ended with Denver leading (28-24) for the first time in the series. That included 12 points in the first quarter.
The Lakers led 53-50 at halftime and extended their advantage to nine points, but the Nuggets went on a 21-10 run to take an 81-79 lead and it was a close game until the buzzer. We entered the 4th quarter.
After Murray’s clutch shot, Taurean Prince raised half court but missed, giving the Lakers an early exit despite pushing the defending champions to the brink in all five games.
