Apr 23, 2024, 01:21 AM ET
DENVER — Jamal Murray did not even see the largest basket of his profession. Not less than not reside, he did not.
Murray swished a step-back 15-footer over Anthony Davis on the buzzer Monday night time, giving the Denver Nuggets a surprising 101-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and capping a comeback from a 20-point second-half deficit.
Murray tumbled into the Nuggets’ bench together with Davis simply as his shot fluttered the web and the roar from the group shook Ball Area.
“I simply misplaced my steadiness and fell. I feel AD was in my means or any individual was in my means, and I simply heard everyone scream — and that is how I knew it went in,” mentioned Murray, who was mobbed by his teammates after his bucket gave the reigning NBA champions their tenth consecutive victory over the Lakers.
Extra importantly, it delivered Denver a 2-0 lead of their Western Convention collection that shifts to Los Angeles for Sport 3 on Thursday night time.
Murray missed 13 of his first 16 pictures and was simply essentially the most flustered, frazzled and annoyed of all his teammates when it appeared the Nuggets would lose to the Lakers for the primary time in 494 days.
“I informed my teammates after I was struggling, ‘I will search for y’all,’ and each single one in every of them informed me to maintain capturing,” recounted Murray, who did simply that in going 6-for-8 for 14 factors within the fourth quarter to complete with 20 factors.
“They informed me to remain aggressive and hold in search of it, hold searching, and after I had the ball with 2 seconds left, I knew as soon as I had made a pair the subsequent one ought to go down, as properly.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone selected to not name a timeout after Denver’s Michael Porter Jr. grabbed the rebound off LeBron James’ missed 3-pointer with 13 seconds left and the rating knotted at 99.
“We acquired the cease. Tie sport. Why allow them to get set?” Malone reasoned. “As a result of once they can get set and so they swap out every part, you may not even get the ball in bounds. So, I wished to verify we might simply circulate into it and let our greatest gamers make performs.”
“I haven’t got a 20-point play. You have to simply hold chipping away.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone
Murray faked like he was going to take a 3-pointer, acquired Davis to shut then beat him to his spot alongside the suitable baseline for a transparent look.
“That is Jamal Murray proper there,” Malone mentioned. “He can battle, he can battle, he can battle. He sees one go in and he is by no means shying away from the second, the highlight. And that was simply an unimaginable play.”
Nuggets star middle Nikola Jokic mentioned Murray “made the robust pictures right now and he missed the straightforward ones. It was that type of sport.”
Requested to undergo that ultimate sequence, Davis demurred, saying merely, “Jamal Murray made a shot,” then standing up, dropping the mic — and never figuratively — and strolling off from the postgame podium.
Jokic posted a triple-double with 27 factors, 20 boards and 10 assists. Porter added 22 factors for Denver, and Aaron Gordon put up 14.
Davis led the Lakers with 32 factors, James scored 26 and D’Angelo Russell tallied 23 with a profession playoff-high seven 3s, together with six within the first half to assist the Lakers construct a 59-44 lead on the break.
The Lakers stretched their benefit to 68-48 two minutes into the second half, and so they nonetheless led by 10 getting into the fourth quarter.
“I haven’t got a 20-point play,” Malone mentioned. “You have to simply hold chipping away.”
That the Nuggets did, lastly tying it at 95 on Porter’s 3-pointer with 1:15 left earlier than the frenzied ultimate minute.
“A 20-point lead on this league, it is not protected, particularly towards the defending champion,” James mentioned. “We have got to do higher. However we had our probabilities.”
