Nuggets hold to win and reduce Lakers lead to 2-1

Torrey Craig (3) and Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets celebrate a dunk by Murray as LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers passes right during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals, Tuesday, September 22. , 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)

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 always makes 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.

Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets celebrates sinking a 3-point basket as Anthony Davis (3) of the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Michael Malone, right rear, watch during the second half of Game 3 of the final of the NBA Western Basketball Conference. Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill)

“We feel like we should be up 2-1 right now, to be honest,” Murray said. “So let’s move on to Game 4.”

Denver has set a record by erasing two 3-1 deficits this postseason, but no 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 held a 20 lead with 10 1/2 minutes to play and soon after held out after the Lakers attacked with a 19-2 run, becoming a 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.

Murray finished with eight rebounds.

TIPS

Lakers: The Lakers had an interrupted six-game winning streak and fell to 10-3 in these playoffs. … Dwight Howard started the second half in center, replacing JaVale McGee.

Nuggets: Denver’s last halftime lead had been a 59-57 lead over the Clippers in Game 3 of the West semifinals. … Malone wished his parents a happy anniversary during his interview after the third trimester. His father, Brendan, was a long-time NBA assistant coach and also coached the Toronto Raptors in 1995-96, their inaugural season.

THE AIR ABOVE

The Lakers went into the game 4-0 in the playoffs as the designated visiting team. Vogel said nothing really changes in the Walt Disney World bubble except the benches the teams are sitting on, but joked about what a big difference his team would have expected in a normal situation.

“You know, I made sure our guys did whatever they had to do to adjust to the altitude of playing in Denver tonight because Game 3, you always have to take that altitude into account,” he said. “We may not have to account for it tonight in Orlando.”

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