After a thrilling Game 4, Denver eliminated Los Angeles and earned a shot at the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
With a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the Denver Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals for the first time in club history, led by Nikola Jokic’s 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists.
The top-seeded Nuggets, led by Jamal Murray’s 25 points, won their first conference title in 47 NBA seasons despite trailing by 15 points at halftime and enduring a 31-point first half from LeBron James.
After the highest-scoring postseason half of his career, James ended with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but the deep and dynamic Nuggets still won their sixth straight game.
In the dying seconds, James had two opportunities to tie the game, but he missed both. First, it appeared like Aaron Gordon blocked James’ buzzer-beating attempt.
By the end of the third quarter, Jokic had already recorded his ninth triple-double of the playoffs, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 1967 NBA record. Despite picking up his fifth foul in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Serbian big man spearheaded the Nuggets’ dogged defensive effort and came through with a big score when Denver needed it.
Jokic’s Heroics Propel Nuggets to NBA Finals Victory over Lakers
With a 113-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the Denver Nuggets swept the Western Conference finals for the first time in club history, led by Nikola Jokic’s 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists.
The top-seeded Nuggets, led by Jamal Murray’s 25 points, won their first conference title in 47 NBA seasons despite trailing by 15 points at halftime and enduring a 31-point first half from LeBron James.
After the highest-scoring postseason half of his career, James ended with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but the deep and dynamic Nuggets still won their sixth straight game.
In the dying seconds, James had two opportunities to tie the game, but he missed both. First, it appeared like Aaron Gordon blocked James’ buzzer-beating attempt.
By the end of the third quarter, Jokic had already recorded his ninth triple-double of the playoffs, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain’s 1967 NBA record. Despite picking up his fifth foul in the middle of the fourth quarter, the Serbian big man spearheaded the Nuggets’ dogged defensive effort and came through with a big score when Denver needed it.
Nuggets Sweep Lakers, Set Stage for NBA Finals Showdown
Unless the Boston Celtics pull off a miraculous comeback and win the East finals 4-3, the NBA Finals will go off on June 1 with the eighth-seeded Miami Heat visiting Denver.
James finished his 20th NBA season with a vengeance, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and doing everything he could to keep the Lakers in the game. Davis appeared to be tiring in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his 21 points and adding 14 rebounds, but the Lakers still couldn’t force a Game 5.
The Lakers, led by Austin Reaves’ 17 points, lost a playoff series in seven games for the ninth time in the franchise’s history.
The loss halted an extraordinary turnaround for seventh-seeded Los Angeles, which had gone from 2-10 to the playoffs under rookie coach Darvin Ham. After acquiring key players at the trade deadline and riding a two-month winning streak into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers shocked second-seeded Memphis. They eliminated the defending champion Golden State to ignite the hopes of their global fan base for one of the most improbable championship runs in NBA history.
Lakers’ Remarkable Playoff Run Ends with Heartbreaking Loss to Denver
When James and the Lakers found themselves on the verge of elimination for the first time in their extraordinary playoff run, they responded by playing their greatest basketball of the series and taking a 73-58 advantage into halftime. In his record-setting 282nd playoff game, he tied his playoff career best for a quarter with 21 points. Then, he scored as many points in the first half as he had in his career.
Nuggets took the lead for the first time in the game less than eight minutes into the third quarter. However, after Denver had built a seven-point lead, the Lakers came storming back and eventually tied the game on Davis’ putback dunk with 5:02 remaining.
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