Anthony Davis took the game-winning 3-pointer to take a 2-0 series lead as the Denver Nuggets completed a hefty comeback effort by the Los Angeles Lakers with a 105-103 win in Game 2 in the Western Conference Final on Sunday.
The final few assets of the game were phenomenal, before Davis and Nicola Jokic took possession of the last Lakers in the trading basket, which included Alex Caruso 3 pointers, a Jamal Murray block, and finally Davis’ winning shot.
The Lakers started the game behind very aggressive LeBron James, who scored 20 points in the first half. But the Nuggets slowly narrowed the 10-point halftime deficit during the second half, leading to an exciting end.
Joaquim (30 points, nine assists, six rebounds) and Murray (25 points, six rebounds, four assists) once again made their way to the Nuggets, and they got strong bench contributions from Michael Porter Jr., Monte Morris and a few surprise minutes. From PJ Dossier. Davis leads the Lakers with 31 points, while James has added 26 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
Denver played better than the opener in that series, but will now have to face a win-win scenario in Game 3 on Tuesday. Below are some gifts from Wild Game 2.
1. The mamba moment of AD
Davis is an interesting superstar. He has been in the top five of the consensus for the last few years in most people’s assessments, but due to the relative futility of his previous team, he has only been in the playoffs twice before this postseason, only advancing to the second round once. Davis has been brilliant, averaging 30.5 points in 13 playoff games with the New Orleans Pelicans, but there were still questions about whether he could be the No. 1 man on the championship team – questions that only became louder when he forced his way into LeBron James. ‘Fellow with the Lakers.
We may not know the answer to this question for a while, but Davis can’t discuss further about James ’Cottells riding in a potential championship. He hit the running backs with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, hitting the Lakers’ final 10 points against Nuggets in Game 2, and he went ahead with his first true signature playoff moment.
“People talk about this, never in this moment, pressure, am I ready for that? I want to take those shots. It’s part of the legacy. I want those shots. I want big-time plays,” Davis said. Then said. Game. “That’s what they brought me here for – big time plays.”
Davis led the Lakers to victory with 22 points in the second half and nine points in the fourth quarter, while James struggled with just two points in a 1-for-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. This is exactly what the Lakers hoped for in the postseason Sun and tremendous encouragement for Davis’ legacy. It also reminded Lakers coach Frank Vogel of a late, great franchise legend.
Vogage said after the game, “That one shot will hit Kobe Bryant.” “AD is coming, he’s been flying like a wing, catch-and-shoot with the game on the line in the biggest moment of our season, nothing but the net. It’s a mamba shot.”
2. Don’t forget about the Joker
If AD’s shorts erupt, the whole conversation is under the full influence of the jockey. With just three minutes to go, the Nuggets trailed by eight, giving their team an individual victory of 9–0 with seconds and one second left. After Davis’ floater left the Lakers behind, Jockey hit nothing clean on the hook measured above the AD to regain the lead.
The big man has just been unbelievable in the playoffs, and has continued to do so with Game 2 losing 30 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. No matter how this postseason ends for the Nuggets, Jockeys have found themselves in the upper echelon of the NBA Superstars.
3. Second chances
There were nuggets This The evening of this series is approaching, and there are a few small things that Michael Malone and the coaching staff point out as potential culprits. First, the Nuggets turned the ball 21 times, leading to 15 points for the Lakers. But paying more attention to the bottom of the stretch was the inability to complete the asset with rebounds.
The Lakers pulled down 13 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 other technical points. On a possession early in the fourth quarter, James got a rebound of his own missed free throw that resulted in a 3-point loss by Danny Green and Kuzma gave another aggressive bounce and she snatched. With just six minutes left, Rajon Rondo found an offensive rebound leading Cantavius Cuddwell-Pop 3-pointer. Then there was of course the final possession, which was kept alive by the Nuggets after failing to get a rebound after a 3-pointer missed by Ajax Caruso.
Sometimes rebounding is about lucky carom here and there, but when it happens consistently in a game you lose by two points, you can’t help but kick yourself later.
4. Porter Jr. runs
The Nuggets need to win the series in a more dramatic comeback than Joachim and Murray, and Porter Jr. is more than capable of becoming their third scorer. It was originally a no-show in Game 7 against the Clippers and most of Game 1 in the series, but he made a lot of shots in the waste time on Friday and he probably moved on. He looked good in Game 2, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting and pulling down four rebounds in just 20 minutes. He won’t be able to play big minutes in the series due to his defensive flaws, but if Ruchi can become a microwave scorer off the bench and keep the team on the bench with Jonchik and / or Murray, he will move on. Long way to go for nuggets.
