LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nikola Jokic was far from his usual control while bogged down in serious trouble, and Jamal Murray calmed down after a searing first half. The Denver Nuggets’ early big lead completely disappeared in the last quarter of Game 3, and the Lakers crowd was in a frenzy.
The Nuggets survived every setback and calmly and methodically took over with poise worthy of champions.
With another victory, they will finally get the chance to play in the first episodes.
Murray scored 37 points, Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Nuggets advanced 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals with a 119-108 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half against his former team for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have not been close to the NBA Finals in the league’s 47 years. Denver is in its fifth straight playoff appearance, and the final stretch is now just one win away.
“I learn so much about this team every time we play,” said Caldwell-Pope. “We have this dog mentality where no matter if we’re headed up or down, we’re going to keep fighting and playing our game, and we’re doing it at a high level. We’re going to continue to do that for the rest of these games.”
Denver lost a 14-point lead in Game 3, but pulled off a decisive 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to snap the Lakers’ nine-game home winning streak since March 26, including seven straight since the end of the regular season. The Nuggets excelled down the stretch as Murray and Jokic repeatedly ran the pick-and-roll that “Coach Jokic” had suggested, according to coach Michael Malone.
“This group is capable of doing great things, and they believe,” said Mallon. “Faith is a very powerful thing.”
No team has finished with a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game four is Monday night in Los Angeles.
“I can’t speak for the guys right now because I don’t know what’s on their minds, but I still (believe),” said LeBron James, who had 23 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. “So it’s time to go straight home and start refueling and start the treatment process and the recovery process and get ready for Monday. My mind is always off.”
Anthony Davis scored 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who have not lost three straight games since early February. Los Angeles’ prolonged desperate rally since the trade deadline has finally run out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets, who have won five straight games.
“They’ve been at the top of the food chain for a reason, and they’ve got so many guys that can hurt you, they’re on full display tonight,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “But you know, the circumstances are what they are. Difficult, but not impossible.”
James hit three three-pointers after starting the series 0-for-13 from long range, and Austin Reeves added 23 points and seven rebounds. But Rui Hachimura was the only other scorer for the Lakers to break double figures with 13 points, and they couldn’t match the Nuggets’ balanced effort.
“Our backs have been against the wall (since) maybe about the last couple of months, maybe more than that since the trade deadline,” Reeves said. “He swings, he throws punches to fight to get to this opportunity. … Either we go out on Monday and go home, or we can fight another day. And with the group of guys we have, I know what that answer will be.”
Jokic’s streak of four straight triple-doubles ended in a rather uneventful game for the two-time MVP, who got his fourth error in the third quarter. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamic first quarter after 23 in the fourth quarter two nights earlier, and had a career-high 30 points in the first half of Game 3.
Bruce Brown scored 15 points and hit a 3-pointer on the Nuggets’ stretch before Jokic nailed it on a 3-pointer with 3:17 to play.
Zealous Lakers fans turned up strong in the 17-time champion’s first conference finals at home since 2010. Los Angeles tried hard to get back in the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining his left ankle in Game 2 on the top of his already sore right foot.
But the Nuggets’ trip to the coast didn’t calm Murray in the least: The Canadian guard put up 17 points in the first quarter and had 26 midway through the second. Reeves had 15 points, three assists and three rebounds in the second quarter alone to keep Los Angeles in it.
A Hashimura 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lakers their first lead since the opening minutes, but the Nuggets took the lead again on a rally highlighted by a Brown 3-pointer with 7:02 to play, after which the Lakers bench was taunted. Los Angeles Celebration of “The Freeze” 3-Point.
D’Angelo Russell had another tough game with the Lakers, scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. The Lakers’ biggest addition in the trade-deadline turnaround has just 21 points in the series.
Tip-ins
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon scored seven points in 32 minutes. … Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 points and 10 rebounds, capping off a 3-pointer in the last 90 seconds.
Lakers: Backup C Mo Bamba missed his ninth straight game with a left ankle injury. The team hopes Bamba will be able to play at some point in this series. … Fans near the field included Jack Nicholson, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Andy Garcia, Diane Cannon, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, defenseman Drew Doughty, Khalil Mack and Derwin James, and Sebastian Joseph Day of the Los Angeles Chargers defensemen.
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