Jamal Murray hit a buzzer-beater and the Denver Nuggets overcame a 20-point deficit to stun the Los Angeles Lakers 101-99 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead Monday night at Ball Arena.
The Lakers led for most of the game, including by 20 points early in the third quarter. But the defending champions got up off the mat and rallied to cut the lead to 10 points entering the fourth quarter.
Both teams took turns trading baskets until LeBron James missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining, giving Murray the chance to complete the comeback.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with a game-high 32 points and 11 rebounds playing with a chip on his shoulder all night after it was announced earlier in the day that he was not selected as a finalist for the NBA’s annual Defensive Player of the Year Award this season.
Davis started the game shooting 14-of-15 from the field.
Despite Davis’ excellent game, he was overshadowed by the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. “The Joker” finished with a triple-double scoring 27 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Murray had 20 points, but none bigger than his buzzer-beater.
D’Angelo Russell, who broke the Lakers single-season record for three-pointers this year, struggled in Game 1 on Saturday shooting a paltry 1-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Russell was red-hot from deep in Game 2, started 6-for-6 from distance and finished with 23 points.
Game 2 started similarly to the opener on Saturday. The Lakers got out to a fast start and opened up a double-digit lead. They extended that lead to 20 points early in the third quarter before the champs rallied and answered the bell.
Denver went on an 11-0 run midway through the third quarter to cut the lead to single digits.
They cut the lead to just two points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but LeBron drained back-to-back three-pointers to stop the bleeding.
The Lakers have lost 10 consecutive games to the Nuggets and six straight in the playoffs dating back to Denver’s four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals last May.
The series now shifts to Hollywood in what appears to be a thrilling and hard-fought battle between two excellent teams, but the mental advantage is clearly on the side of the Nuggets who have the Lakers’ number.
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