NBA Playoffs: Nuggets Demonstrate How They Got Top Seed By Putting LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Peril

Los Angeles: In Los Angeles Every postseason series has a turning point where both teams reach a consensus that they would recognise the superior team and the same side that is likely to win the series.

Both of these realisations for the Lakers came to fruition in Game 4 of their previous series against Memphis, where the Grizzlies choked on their own arrogance and lost a chance to force overtime, and against Golden State, where the champions failed to muster their customary moxie to win a game on the road that was theirs to win.

They were doing all they could to attack the Denver Nuggets in their third quarter of the Western Conference Finals. LeBron James ultimately put a stop to the country’s nightmare by hitting back-to-back triples.

They also had Nikola Jokic in foul trouble on a bad night, Anthony Davis working inside, and Anthony Davis in foul trouble.

The Nuggets were fresh and persistently stalking like black cats, and despite their strenuous effort, they still trailed by one.

Following a 119-108 victory in Game 3 at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday night to take a 3-0 lead, that black cat is now one game away from the NBA Finals. No team has ever recovered from such a hole to win a series in NBA history.

And despite their dominance in the first two games, the Nuggets continued to play with a respectful fear of the Lakers, as if they were aware of this.

Jamal Murray followed up his 23-point fourth-quarter performance from Game 2 by dropping a clean 30 on the Lakers in the first half. However, the fear wasn’t deference, and Murray made sure he didn’t live in a “what have you done for me lately” environment.

Jokic worked his way to 24 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, with most of his impact coming in the fourth when they held off a late charge. He led the Nuggets with 37 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.

The Lakers, who were unbeaten at home in these playoffs, were anticipated to strike first, but instead, they delivered what appeared to be the death blow, forcing the Lakers to play from behind the entire time.

“I believe the idea is that you have to go out there and take it. What is the natural tendency when you are up 3-0? When you take a deep breath and relax, that’s when problems arises”.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Malone is an edgy person, and his players have inherited that edginess. Since Christmas Day, the Nuggets have been the best team in the West. It’s strange how time flies when you’re focusing on other teams in the conference.

The Warriors were always regarded as champions, and it was thought that defeating a completely fit team in a seven-game series would be challenging.

In theory, the Clippers are always great—until the injuries start. The acquisition of Kevin Durant by the Phoenix Suns, who were no longer dependent on Kyrie Irving, was alluring. The seismic trade deadline moves that got the Lakers to this position also attracted a lot of attention.

However, the Nuggets continued to dominate the standings, a healthy group that just required one another to compete. They had a 50-win pace last year and went 25-16 on the road.

“We’re No. 1 in the West for a reason,” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “I had faith that we might take home a championship right away. Everyone was of that mindset. We were aware of our chemistry and our capacity for play”.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

As a result, when Jokic started picking up fouls early on, Murray had no problems taking over, and Michael Porter Jr. once more made the most of his few opportunities to pose a serious danger while playing with complete focus on the opposite end.

I did observe poise tonight, and I believe the word you used is really apt, Malone added. Bad problem. Nikola leaving. There was no crisis. ‘OK, he’s out, that means someone else has to stand up,’ was the response. I believe it’s something that our team has consistently accomplished. Although it seems cliche, we have actually benefited from having a next-man-up attitude over the years.

Teams can only advance so far by relying on the next guy up; games in May require the stars to put the finishing touches on them.

The Lakers were utterly baffled when trying to stop Jokic and Murray, who have the finest two-man game in the league.

Darvin Ham, the head coach of the Lakers, is notorious for trying a little bit of everything, and he even briefly put James back on Murray. It seemed like a last ditch effort, or last rites, given James’ advanced age.

It appears that Jokic directed the Nuggets to run the offence on the right side during several crucial times in their huddle.

We simply didn’t want to rush anything because we were awake at the time, Murray added. Jokic did an excellent job of communicating to the team in the huddle in plain English where everyone should be, and as I mentioned, we executed well.

Even though the Lakers led 94-93 with seven minutes to go in the game, it didn’t feel like they had the game under control. It was evident that the Nuggets saw Game 3 as a chance since they have played every game in this postseason series with the right professionalism.

Even Caldwell-Pope, who isn’t the loudest player, criticised Christian Braun, another teammate, for mishandling a defensive coverage that led to an Austin Reaves three. There is maturity and understanding.

Therefore, that lead vanished before the Lakers could blink. All hope for the game, the series, and the season was dashed when Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, and Murray each hit three triples in the following 90 seconds.

The Nuggets had a chance to lose that game, and they still have a chance to do so going forward. With 30 assists to only 5 turnovers and a greater emphasis on defensive attention, they’ve demonstrated that they won’t lose to themselves, which many believed would be their downfall this spring.

Could James have accomplished it and won the battle? This version plays in bursts, suggesting that it may be an early version. He had 12 assists, 7 rebounds, and 23 points. James made 3-of-9 3-point tries, which is an improvement over his recent performance but probably too many for the Lakers to tolerate.

He was kept out of the paint by the Nuggets, preventing Davis from doing the most damage. Along with the underappreciated Brown, Aaron Gordon and Porter Jr. have put in a lot of unappreciated work this series.

The Nuggets are 48 minutes away from qualifying for their first-ever NBA Finals while the Lakers are still searching for explanations. The Nuggets are proving they are the superior club —any time, anywhere.

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