Jamal Murray Hit Another Game-Winner To Secure A Nuggets Series Win Over The Lakers

Jamal Murray’s status entering Monday night’s Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers was up in the air, as he was dealing with a calf injury. Ultimately, Murray got cleared to play, and the Denver Nuggets could not be happier, as he put forth a monster effort that included his second game-winning basket of the series to give Denver a 108-106 win that clinched a 4-1 series victory.

The teams went into the locker room at halftime with the Lakers holding onto a 53-50 lead, and unsurprisingly, Anthony Davis and LeBron James did most of the heavy lifting. Davis imposed himself on the Denver frontcourt, going for 16 points and nine boards on 8-for-10 shooting, while James did a little bit of everything, going for 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and three steals.

This was just enough to give the team an edge in the first half despite a hobbled Murray (16 points) and Michael Porter Jr. (11 points) providing the primary scoring punch, while Nikola Jokic nearly had a first half double-double — 8 points, 11 rebounds, four assists.

Despite the fact that Anthony Davis hurt his left arm, the Lakers were able to open up an 9-point lead early on in the third quarter. And then, the Nuggets did that thing they do where an avalanche starts and you have to hope you don’t get caught up in it, going on a 14-2 run that featured a big Porter three in which he got fouled (he did miss the free throw to tie the game).

But even with Davis in the locker room, the Lakers showed some major resolve and stayed within arm’s reach for the remainder of the period. Every effort the Nuggets made to try to create some separation was answered, and as a result, Denver only took an 81-79 lead into the final frame.

As the game got into the fourth quarter, the Lakers started to throw their best punch. Powered by James turning back the clock, the team was able to take the lead midway through the fourth thanks to a 10-2 run.

Everything from one team drew an answer from the other — even when Murray detonated on James to give Denver a lead, Austin Reaves came right back down and scored to level things again.

Denver looked like it threw its best haymaker with 1:06 left, after Aaron Gordon reeled in an offensive rebound, and got the ball out to Murray, who drilled a three to put the Nuggets up by two.

But the door did not get emphatically slammed, as James was able to tie things up at the free throw line. As it turns out, this just opened the door for Game 5 to end like Game 2, with Murray playing the hero and hitting a game-winner.

The Lakers did not have a timeout after this, which meant they had to rush into a final shot. And by the time Taurean Prince’s contested heave from midcourt hit the ground, the crowd at Ball Arena was already cheering.

Murray’s 32 points led all scorers, while Porter ended up going for 26. Jokic, despite having stretches where he was just a little off, went for 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists on the evening. For the Lakers, James was brilliant, as he put up 30 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and four steals. Reaves had 19 points, and Davis had a 17-point, 15-rebound evening.

Denver now gets to move on to a highly-anticipated Western Conference Semifinal matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which secured a spot in the second round by sweeping the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets and the Wolves split their season series, with each team winning two games, and Game 1 is scheduled to take place on Saturday.