There is a short list of players who do not get much of the spotlight in the regular season but turn it up in the NBA Playoffs. Jamal Murray is one of them and he proved that once against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Denver Nuggets' blue arrow shattered every fan of the Purple and Gold's hearts and sent the Nikola Jokic-led squad into the second round, via the NBA.
Your eyes were not deceiving you nor was it a flashback of what happened a week ago. The Nuggets got Jamal Murray the ball yet again in the clutch. Everyone on the Lakers squad just froze as they saw their season come to an end in the most undesirable fashion. It was one thing to send this beloved California-based team packing a few days ago. But, it is another for Nikola Jokic's squad to rally back from behind again and break their morale after the NBA Playoffs.
More than the series-sealing shot, Jamal Murray produced big numbers to rally the Nuggets back. He knocked down 13 out of his 28 field goal attempts while having an outside stroke that went down 50% of the time for a game-leading 32 points. Whenever the Lakers sent an extra defender, he was easily able to find the open man and dish the ball out. This resulted in seven assists. His steal was also crucial in shifting the momentum towards the Nuggets' favor when they were down.
His running mates, Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr., also boosted all facets of the game. The two Nuggets on the front court combined for 51 points 20 of 33 field goal shooting. Porter, especially, lit up from beyond the arc despite the Lakers' call to use the zone. He knocked five out of the seven shots that he took from the three-point area.
Nuggets ride the last wave to the second round
It's almost always the same story for the Lakers. They enter the game steaming hot and get on a massive run to build what looks like an insurmountable lead. But, questionable rotational calls and some odd schemes help the Nuggets get back into the game.
This time it was the inability of the Lakers to hit three-pointers that they capitalized on. Throughout the four quarters of this game, the Lakers only managed to sink 28.6% of their shots from way out. When the Nuggets knew that their opponents couldn't punch back, they lit it up by hitting 42.1% of their three-pointers. They also made the adjustment to make sure there was a guy underneath the glass. This led them to winning the battle of the boards with 45 rebounds to the Lakers' 41.
In the end, the score may have just been 108 to 106 but the records will always say that the Nuggets sent the Lakers home emphatically.
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