The Denver Nuggets have now beaten the Los Angeles Lakers in ten straight games. Sometimes, there is nothing you can do; one team is just better in clutch moments. This Nuggets team’s consistency has shown its resilience time and time again. Down twenty in the middle of the third, it felt as if the Lakers still had not put the Nuggets away.
The Nuggets never led in the second half. They did not possess a lead before their game-winning basket since a 5-3 lead in the first quarter. Jamal Murray was not able to find his shot in the first half, but his teammates never lost faith in his point guard, and they rewarded him for it. He spoke about the encouragement his teammates harped on him all night as he was working through his struggles.
“I just want to give all the grace to my teammates, coaches, Pops,” Murray told Ernie Johnson after the game. “I told my teammates I was struggling ‘I’m gonna look for y’all. I’m gonna look for y’all. I’m gonna look fr y’all.’ And every single one of them told me to ‘keep shooting. keep shooting. Be aggressive. keep shooting.’ Even when I was throwing up a bullsh*t floater.”
Murray’s conversation with his father at halftime helped turn his night around. Twenty-point leads in today’s NBA are not what they used to be, but they are similar to what LeBron James said after the game: You have to keep your foot on the gas against the defending champions.
They did not do that in the fourth quarter, as Anthony Davis scored 32 points in three quarters and none in the fourth.
“We know they’re a great offensive team,” James told the media after the game. “We know they’re going to get into a rhythm at some point. We know they’re gonna make runs, especially on the home floor. We just have to withstand them. And we did. Obviously, we gave up a 20-point lead and that’s unfortunate. But 20-point leads are not safe, especially because it’s a defending champion.”
Nikola Jokic was sensational once again in this game, cementing himself in the history books last night before the fourth quarter, forward Michael Porter Jr. was asked how Jokic would play in the fourth quarter and MPJ kept it simple.
“It’s Nikola Jokic. He’s gonna have a good fourth quarter.”
He did not disappoint, finishing the game with 20 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals. Anthony Davis played sensational for three quarters and then Nikola Jokic took over, overpowering and outskilling Davis as the game winded down.
Jokic praised AD after the game, mentioning how talented a two-way player Davis was.
Davis was not as talkative after the game but had faith in his team’s capabilities against the defending champs.
“We’ve shown that we’re more than capable. We have stretches where we just don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor. And those are the ones that cost us. So we have two days to get it right and come ready to win Game 3 on Thursday.”
Late in the fourth quarter, D’Angelo Russel was driving to the basket and initially drew a foul to shoot two free throws. However, after Nuggets coach Michael Malone challenged the call, it was overturned. James could not believe that the call was reversed, and his response was telling after the game.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest… D’Lo clearly gets hit in the face on the drive, what the f&%& do we have a replay center.. makes no sense to me. It bothers me.”
Lakers fans are bothered this morning and it seems as if this series is over, the game-winner was deflating to the Lakers chances. game 3 on Thursday should be entertaining as the Lakers play their first playoff game in Crypto Arena.
