Jamal Murray Hits Buzzer-Beater; Nuggets Lead 2-0 over Lakers

Credit: Jack Dempsey / Associated Press

After a hard-fought season, the Nuggets finished with a record of 57-25 with a .695 winning percentage, tying with the Oklahoma City Thunder but still remaining the second seed to finish. Their finishing record last year was 53-29, with a .646 winning percentage when they won the NBA Championship, so they seemed to be playing better in the regular season this year than when they won the championship last year.

With being the second seed and play-in games finished, the Lakers were lined up to play against the Nuggets. Game 1 at home for the Nuggets seemed relatively smooth for both teams, with the game pretty close throughout, with a final score of 114-103 against the Lakers. Both teams were shooting over 40%, but the Lakers struggled twice as much, with turnovers causing trouble and leading to their loss. Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis were the game leaders with 32 points each.

Like Game 1, Game 2 was a wild ride that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Once again, the Nuggets were home at Ball Arena, drawing in over 19,711 fans eager for another Nuggets victory. All fans were given white 5280 towels to wave during the game. The sheriff was in town, Peyton Manning, legendary Denver Broncos quarterback, was there to enjoy the game with other Broncos alumni. After the tip-off, the Lakers seemed to be in complete control. Shooting over 43% at the 3-point line, and the Nuggets only at 23%. D’Angelo Russell was on fire and shot 7/11 for 3-pointers after not having a prominent role in Game 1. Lebron James also shot 50% at the three-point line, keeping the lead for the team. Reaching the third quarter, the Nuggets were down 20 points, and hope seemed to be lost, but suddenly everything seemed to turn around.

Credit: Ron Chenoy - USA Today Sports

The Nuggets switched their mindset and hit some crucial points to slowly cut down the lead, scoring 25 points in the third quarter. According to ESPN analytics, the Lakers had a 95.6% chance of winning in the third quarter with no hope left for the Nuggets. In the final 4 minutes of that quarter, the Nuggets went into overdrive, and the Lakers couldn't keep up. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rattled the rim with a major slam dunk on Taurean Price, slowing their momentum down. Jokic could not be stopped in the paint and finished the game with a stat line of 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists with his 17th career playoff triple-double. He averages almost 30 points against the Lakers and is currently averaging better stats post-season than during the regular season. ESPN ranks him as #1 among the top 25 players currently in the post-season. Jay Williams from Get Up said, “Is it fair to say now… that we are looking at potentially the greatest skilled center to ever play the game of basketball?” Jokic is currently the top candidate for MVP this year after winning it twice.

Credit: Ron Chenoy - USA Today Sports

As the fourth quarter unfolded, the Nuggets started bringing down the lead to under 10 points. Michael Porter Jr. (MPJ) played a significant role in bringing the team back in contention, going 6-10 at the three-point line and scoring 22 points. Off the bench, Christian Braun from Kansas also contributed to bringing the team back, going 5-8 in field goals. Jamal Murray started to heat up and score some crucial points, bringing the deficit to one possession with 6 minutes remaining on the clock after being cold the first half of the game, only scoring 3-16, but in the fourth quarter alone being 6-8.

After thinking the Nuggets were coming back, Lebron James said not today and hit two massive three-pointers to secure the lead again. He later hit a massive jumper down low that led to a foul, keeping the Lakers up 91-85 with 3:41 left on the clock. The Nuggets responded with 2:12 left on the clock; Jokic did a triple spin move layup, drawing the foul against the Lakers leading scorer, Anthony Davis, bringing the teams within one point with only a minute thirty left. Once again, Lebron responded with a massive slam dunk on Murray, with the crowd livid on their feet.

With 1:15 left, MPJ hit a massive three-pointer in Lebron’s eye to tie up the game. Porter Jr. was a major asset to the three-point shooting in this game. The game stayed back and forth down to 30 seconds left on the clock, all tied up with Jamal Murray hitting a lowdown jumper.

Credit: Matthew Stockman

The Lakers could not connect on a wide-open three with the score tied 99-99, leaving the Nuggets under 10 seconds to score. Murray brought the ball down and took his time, guarded by Russell. With two seconds left in the game, Murray swung around the right side with Davis guarding him, and with one second left, he put up a shot from the baseline, heavily contested, causing him and Davis to crash into the Nuggets bench. Murray hit the shot, and the stadium started shaking. After being down 20 points, the Nuggets were able to pull it off down to the wire and take the lead to 2-0. After hitting the game-winning shot, Jamal Muray said, “I just lost my balance and fell. I think A.D. was in my way, or somebody was in my way, and I just heard everybody scream, and that's how I knew it went in,". The Denver Nuggets have high hopes for the rest of the post-season after sweeping the Lakers last season in the playoffs and later going on to win the NBA Championship.

Credit: NBA.com

The Nuggets have broken a record now of being 10-0 against the Lakers. After the game, Lebron James and Anthony Davis walked out of the press room when asked about the officiating. Shannon Sharpe had some words for the angered Lakers players, “I'm not going to let y’all have a 20-point lead and then blame the officials that you guys lost.” Despite the anger, the Lakers still have hope as they return home for Games 3 and 4 with a 66.7% win percentage at home. Overall, the Lakers have had more wins against the Nuggets in the playoffs, 25-14 advantage. As the playoffs continue and tensions rise, we will wait to see how this series unfolds.

Tune into Game 2 @Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, April 25, at 8:00 P.M. Mountain Time