- Lakers’ center, Anthony Davis made a buzzer-beating three to take down the Denver Nuggets.
- Nikola Jokic moved the Nuggets in the last three minutes, scoring 11 straight points for his team.
- LAL had more players involved, while Denver had just three.
Davis Uses Nuggets’ Slow Defense
Mason Plumlee thought differently than his teammates, and he stayed below LeBron Jame’s screen instead of continuing to chase Anthony Davis. Once Nikola Jokic saw that happened, he tried to contest AD’s shot, but he failed.
The ball went through the rim, and the Lakers began to celebrate.
“This is what they brought me here for. To make big plays,” AD told the reporters following the contest.
Once again, the Nuggets rallied back, this time from a 16-point deficit in the third and the second quarter. They were down eight, with three minutes to go, once Nikola Jokic started pounding, eventually handing his team a one-point advantage 103-102, just before the final possession.
The Joker delivered 11 points in a row for his side and created massive troubles to LAL. Davis maintained the balance on the other side, but it was evident that the Nuggets’ center was on fire. Eventually, one mistake, not committed by Jokic, allowed the Eyebrow to solve the game.
“Just happened, a little bit of miscommunication….As soon as he shot the ball, he shot it really well. Like, I kind of felt it going in. Great players make great shots,” Jokic praised his opponent.
The two were the best players on the floor by far this Sunday night. AD had 31 points, nine rebounds, and was 11-for-23 from the floor.
Jokic had 30 buckets, with nine assists and six rebounds with nine field goals in 20 tries, and 11 free throws made in 12 shots.
Lakers Have More Players Stepping Up
The difference between the LAL and the Nuggets was that the purple and gold had more offensive solutions, while the Nuggets had Murray and Porter Jr., besides Joker.
Murray added 25 points and six boards with four assists, shooting 8-for-19 from the field. Porter Jr. added 15 points.
On the other side, LeBron posted a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds with four assists and two blocks. Danny Green had 11 and five boards with three steals, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 11 also.
Rajon Rondo had just three points, but nine assists, one of them critical.
“Bron and I looked eye-to-eye, but he didn’t move, and then I saw AD coming on the outside and just tried to get it to him on time, on target. I had Joker on me, so obviously, I couldn’t throw the lob pass, and he did the rest,” the veteran point guard explained following the game.
Lakers doubled the lead now, but with the Nuggets’ there can’t be any underestimating. We all saw how LA Clippers ended up even though they had a 3-1 lead, needing just one win to secure the West Finals.
Game 3 of this series is set for Tuesday.
