Nuggets 101-99 Lakers (Apr 22, 2024) Game Recap

DENVER — — Jamal Murray did not even see the most important basket of his profession. At the very least not reside, he did not.

Murray swished a step-back 15-footer over Anthony Davis on the buzzer Monday evening, giving the Denver Nuggets a surprising 101-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and capping a comeback from a 20-point second-half deficit.

Murray tumbled into the Nuggets’ bench together with Davis simply as his shot fluttered within the internet and the roar from the group shook Ball Enviornment.

“I simply misplaced my steadiness and fell. I feel A.D. was in my method or someone was in my method and I simply heard all people scream and that is how I knew it went in,” mentioned Murray, who was mobbed by his teammates after his bucket gave the reigning NBA champions their tenth consecutive win over the Lakers.

Extra importantly, it gave Denver a 2-0 lead in a Western Convention first-round sequence that shifts to Los Angeles for Sport 3 on Thursday evening.

Murray missed 13 of his first 16 pictures and was simply essentially the most flustered, frazzled and annoyed of all his teammates when it appeared the Nuggets would lose to the Lakers for the primary time in 494 days.

“I instructed my teammates after I was struggling, ‘I’m gonna search for y’all,’ and each single certainly one of them instructed me to maintain capturing,” recounted Murray, who did simply that, going 6 for 8 for 14 factors within the fourth quarter to complete with 20 factors.

“They instructed me to remain aggressive and preserve searching for it, preserve searching and after I had the ball with 2 seconds left, I knew as soon as I had made a pair, the following one ought to go down, as effectively.”

Nuggets coach Michael Malone selected to not name a timeout after Michael Porter Jr. grabbed the rebound off LeBron James’ missed 3-pointer with 13 seconds left and the sport twisted up at 99.

“We bought the cease. Tie sport. Why allow them to get set?” Malone reasoned. “As a result of, once they can get set and so they change out every part, you won’t even get the ball inbounds. So, I needed to verify we may simply circulate into it and let our greatest gamers make performs.”

Murray faked like he was going to take a 3-pointer, bought A.D. to shut after which beat him to his spot alongside the correct baseline for the clear look.

“That is Jamal Murray proper there,” Malone mentioned. “He can wrestle, he can wrestle, he can wrestle. He sees one go in and he is by no means shying away from the second, the highlight. And that was simply an unbelievable play.”

Nikola Jokic mentioned Murray “made the robust pictures right this moment and he missed the straightforward ones. It was that sort of sport.”

Requested to go although that closing sequence, Davis demurred, saying merely, “Jamal Murray made a shot,” then standing up, dropping the mic — not figuratively — and strolling off from the postgame podium.

Jokic posted a triple-double with 27 factors, 20 boards and 10 assists. Porter added 22 factors and Aaron Gordon 14 for Denver.

Davis led the Lakers with 32 factors, James had 26 factors plus a serious beef with the officiating and D’Angelo Russell added 23 with a profession playoff-high seven 3s, together with six within the first half to assist the Lakers construct a 59-44 lead on the break.

The Lakers stretched their benefit to 68-48 two minutes into the second half and so they nonetheless led by 10 coming into the fourth quarter.

“I haven’t got a 20-point play,” Malone mentioned. “You have to simply preserve chipping away.”

That they did, lastly tying it at 95-all on Porter’s 3-pointer with 1:15 left earlier than the frenzied closing minute.

“A 20-point lead on this league, it is not secure, particularly towards the defending champion,” James mentioned. “We have got to do higher. However we had our probabilities.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA