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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – They had just lost a heartthrob in the playoffs, and two nights later the Denver Nuggets quickly went out of control into trouble.
Running out of trouble is what these Nuggets do best.
“Everybody’s always making us pack up and go, but we’re not ready to go,” said coach Michael Malone. “For some reason we love this bubble.”
They will get at least two more games.
Jamal Murray had 28 points, 12 assists and two late 3s to stop a Lakers charge, helping the Nuggets to a 114-106 victory Tuesday night that cut Los Angeles’ lead to 2-1 in the final. of the Western Conference.
The Nuggets lost nearly all of a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter, but held on, avoiding a 3-0 hole that would have been overwhelming even for this team that never runs away.
“We feel like we should be up 2-1 right now, to be honest,” Murray said. “So let’s move on to game four.”
Denver has set a record by erasing two 3-1 deficits this postseason, but no National Basketball Association (NBA) team has come back from 3-0.
Jerami Grant added 26 points, his best mark in the playoffs, and Nikola Jokic had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who will try to even the series on Thursday.
LeBron James had 30 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, his 26th triple-double in the playoffs, for the Lakers, who are still two wins behind their first NBA Finals appearance in a decade. Anthony Davis, who made the triple winner at the bell in Game 2, scored 27 points.
The Nuggets led by 20 with 10:30 to play and soon after held out after the Lakers attacked with a 19-2 run, resorting to zone defense and forcing turnovers that led to easy baskets.
“We played pretty well in the fourth quarter, but those first 36 minutes obviously hurt us,” James said.
With Denver’s lead at four, Murray hit a triple with 2:16 to play. He then found Paul Millsap under the basket to score before hitting a long 3 to take the lead to 111-99 with 53 seconds left.
Coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that the Lakers were lucky to win Game 2, in which they committed 24 turnovers, and they would have to be better on Tuesday.
Instead, it was the Nuggets who upped their game and played from the front, ending a six-game losing streak at halftime.
“Maybe they can beat us by 20, 30, they can beat us by one last shot, but we just can’t give up,” Jokic said. “The effort must be there.”
The Lakers accumulated leads of 15 or more in the second quarter of the first two games. This time it was the Nuggets who began to flee in that period, even with Jokic on the bench resting for his great career that started it.
Denver started a 7-0 run, the last five by Michael Porter Jr., to open a nine-point lead. After a dunk from James, Murray hit a triple and Monte Morris scored the next five to make a 15-2 start to the period and give the Nuggets a 44-29 lead.
It would grow to 18 and could have been worse if it weren’t for Davis, who scored nine straight points for the Lakers. Markieff Morris’s 3-pointer cut him to 63-53 at halftime.
The Lakers picked up the first five points of the third to cut the lead in half, but Denver regained control and led 93-75 after three.
