Jamal Murray almost missed Game 5 with an injury. But he couldn't resist breaking the Lakers' hearts again.
PLAYOFF. JAMAL. MURRAY.
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
His SECOND GAME-WINNER of the series sends Denver to Round 2 https://t.co/ZiNxo5iNc0 pic.twitter.com/b3AQoCUQIA
Just like he did in Game 2, Murray beat the Lakers in the final seconds. He used a screen from Nikola Jokic and evaded Austin Reaves to give Denver a 108-106 win in the game and a 4-1 series win.
Murray scored 32 points and made five of his 10 three-pointers. A huge one answered a go-ahead three-pointer by Austin Reaves, enabled by another big offensive rebound in a series full of them from Aaron Gordon.
REAVES & MURRAY TRADE HUGE TRIPLES DOWN THE STRETCH pic.twitter.com/18FycSayY4
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 30, 2024
LeBron James tied the game with two free throws in the final minute, but the Lakers, with no timeouts, couldn't get a shot better than a wild Taurean Prince 40-footer at the buzzer.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone reportedly didn't want Murray to play, up 3-1, but relented after what he termed an "emotional conversation" before the game. Murray didn't look very injured, especially when he elevated to dunk on the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
JAMAL MURRAY POSTER
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
Get to TNT for the finish! pic.twitter.com/c2FeS2nYNC
It was another tight win against the Lakers, their eighth win in nine tight playoff games over the last two seasons. Once again, the Lakers led at halftime, and once again, a Denver run in the second half brought them back, a 14-2 stretch capped off by, who else, Jamal Murray.
Murray caps a 14-2 Nuggets' run and the Denver crowd ERUPTS ️
— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024
DEN lead 3-1 | Live on TNT pic.twitter.com/VLbFabBY70
James finished with 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and even shot 3-for-7 from three-point range. But the rest of the Lakers shot 7-for-28 from deep, and Anthony Davis, who collided with Michael Porter Jr, late in the game, barely shot in the second half, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds but only 11 shots.
Now Murray has until the weekend to rehabilitate his calf strain before the Nuggets face the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. It didn't slow him much Monday.
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