In a tense match with a few incidents related to Anthony Davis’ injury, the Denver Nuggets engulfed the Los Angeles Lakers with a game-winner.Once again, the man who finished off the Los Angeles Lakers was Jamal Murray.
The Denver Nuggets star, after a buzzer-beater game-winner in Game 2, has now engulfed the LA Lakers with another game-winner in Game 5.
The perfect combination of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic eliminated Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves on the Lakers side, opening up a wide-open shot that brought a 108-106 victory to the Denver Nuggets.
The ball went into the basket with less than 4 seconds left in the first game and the Lakers theoretically still had a chance. But because there were no more consultation rights in hand, LeBron James and the LA players were unable to finish.
The final whistle sounded with the Denver Nuggets winning Game 5, completing the 2024 NBA Playoffs round 1 series with a total score of 4-1. On the other side of the field, the Los Angeles Lakers “suffered a bitter taste” with 2 game-winners in 5 matches, both coming from Jamal Murray alone.
Like Game 2, Murray today scored a series of points for the Denver Nuggets to end the match. If in Game 2 he scored 6 points, today the Canadian PG has a 5-0 personal scoring streak to finish off the Lakers.
LeBron James led the Lakers in the match with 30 points, 11 assists and nearly reached a triple-double with 9 rebounds. Anthony Davis scored 17 points and 15 rebounds, a huge step back from the average of more than 30 points per game in the previous 4 games.
D’Angelo Russell scored 14 points but only had 2-10 3PT. Austin Reaves contributed 19 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Rui Hachimura scored 15 points with 6-15 FG.
On the Denver Nuggets side, Jamal Murray went from not being able to play due to injury to becoming the No. 1 star with 32 points, 7 assists, 5 successful 3-pointers and 1 game-winner.
Nikola Jokic had a “huge” game with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists. Michael Porter Jr. scored 26 points with 8-12 FG and 5-7 3PT. Although Aaron Gordon did not score many points, he ranked first in Denver with 5 offensive scores. rebounds (13 total), accompanied by 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Now, the Denver Nuggets’ journey to defend their championship will continue in the Western semi-final series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that “swept” the Phoenix Suns 4-0 in the series that ended yesterday.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, this will be the second time in the past four years that the Lakers have been eliminated from round 1 of the NBA Playoffs. The season with many injuries and personnel changes has ended. Even the specter of injury still haunts them to this day.
After leading with a small margin through the first two rounds, the Los Angeles Lakers today stood firm against the Denver Nuggets’ third-round entry. However, an injury unfortunately happened to LA’s most important player, Anthony Davis.
Bigman born in 1993 was gently nudged in the shoulder by Michael Porter Jr. during a dispute. The collision did not seem serious at first glance, but Davis lay on the field in extreme pain.
It took AD a few minutes to stand up and try to stay on the field to continue playing. But during this time, he just stood on the field and hit with one hand. His left shoulder is still sore, making Anthony Davis almost helpless in both attack and defense.
Coach Darvin Ham eventually had to withdraw his key player. Including the time Davis endured pain on the field and the time he returned to the locker room for treatment, the Denver Nuggets created a series of 19-5 points to take the lead.
As for AD, he only scored 1 more point after being injured, mostly trying to defend and compete in the rest of the match.