WILL IT BE NUGGETS IN FINALS?
Nuggets on brink of NBA Finals with win over Lakers in Game 3
LOS ANGELES – Nikola Jokic was far from his usual dominant self while mired in foul trouble, and Jamal Murray cooled off after his scorching first half. The Denver Nuggets’ big early lead disappeared entirely in the fourth quarter of Game 3, and the Lakers’ home crowd was in a frenzy.
The Nuggets weathered every setback and calmly, methodically took control with a poise worthy of champions.
With one more victory, they’ll finally get the chance to play for their first rings.
Murray scored 37 points, Jokic added 24 points and eight assists and the Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory 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 never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league. Denver is making its fifth straight playoff appearance, and the ultimate stage is now just one win away.
“I learn a lot about this team every time we play,” Caldwell-Pope said. “We have that dog mentality where no matter if we’re up, down, we’re going to continue to fight and play our game, and do it at a high level. We’re going to continue to do that for the rest of these games.”
Denver blew a 14-point lead in Game 3, but made a decisive 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to snap the Lakers’ nine-game home winning streak since March 26, including seven straight victories since the regular season ended. The Nuggets excelled down the stretch with Murray and Jokic repeatedly running a two-man pick-and-roll game suggested by “Coach Jokic,” according to coach Michael Malone.
“This group is capable of doing great things, and they believe,” Malone said. “Belief is a very powerful thing.”
No team has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles. /