LeBron James gave the Denver Nuggets his best shot on Monday. It is not enough.
Powered by a history-making Nikola Jokić triple-double, the Nuggets rallied for a 113-111 victory to complete a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. The win continued an incredible postseason run by the Nuggets while securing their first ever trip to the NBA Finals. They did it while overcoming the best postseason effort of one of the all-time greats.
LeBron James started the game in overdrive
James started the game on fire, scoring 21 points in the first quarter as the Lakers led 34-26. He shot 7-of-9 from the field, including a 4-of-4 effort from 3-point distance. A lob attempt from beyond the 3-point arc instead fell into the net for a basket that was a sign of things to come.
The bucket sparked James’ personal 8-0 run that gave the Lakers a 23-15 lead. He stayed hot throughout the half, and didn’t leave the game until taking an early break in the locker with 4.3 seconds left in the half. The Lakers led 73-58 at the break through James’ 31 points in the first half.
The nuggets are back
But the Nuggets did not fail. They shot 50% from the field in the first half despite a 15-point deficit. They opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run to force the Lakers to take a timeout. A Kentavious Caldwell-Pope layup 7:21 into the third extended the Nuggets’ run to 24-8 and gave them their first lead of the game at 82-81.
Jokić made NBA history
Jokić provided the assist on the go-ahead bucket. The dish was his 10th of the game, clinching his eighth triple-double of the playoffs. It broke Wilt Chamberlain’s tie for most triple-doubles in a postseason. Jokić has at least four more games to add to his tally.
James, who played all but 4.3 seconds in the game, was scoreless throughout Denver’s rally. He got on the scoreboard for the first time in the second half on a floater with 2:47 left. But Los Angeles’ potential blowout turned in Denver’s favor as the Nuggets posted a 36-16 third-quarter lead to take a 94-89 lead into the fourth quarter.
Denver maintained their lead for most of the fourth quarter. Offensive fouls by Jokić on consecutive possessions sparked consecutive Lakers buckets with a dunk by Anthony Davis that tied the game at 102-102 with 4:59 left. Tensions rose on both sides.
From there, the match remained a back-and-forth battle until the final minute. But as they’ve done all postseason, the Nuggets made big plays when it mattered most in the stretch. Jokić’s layup in traffic with 51.1 seconds left gave Denver a 113-11 lead.
LeBron missed 2 chances to tie
The Lakers had two chances to answer, but failed to make another bucket. On the Lakers’ next possession, James launched a desperation fallaway jumper from the baseline that hit the side of the backboard as the shot clock expired.
Given another chance to tie the game with four seconds left, the Lakers looked to James again. This time he attacked the basket, where he was met by a double-team from Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray. Gordon, who had fought James’ previous miss, blocked the layup attempt, and the game was over.
The Nuggets made it to the NBA Finals. The Lakers, on the other hand saw a midseason turnaround and unexpected playoff run from play-in came up woefully short against a superior Denver team.
Jokić named WCF MVP
Jokić, as he has done throughout the season and playoffs, anchored the Nuggets’ victory. The two-time MVP made several big plays during the Nuggets rally and during the final minutes of the game. He continues to hit rare shots at critical junctures in the game.
He finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 blocks and a steal. He shot 11-of-24 from the field including a 3-of-6 effort from beyond the arc. He was awarded the Western Conference finals MVP trophy after the game. But he was not alone.
All five Nuggets starters scored in double figures. Murray finished with 25 points while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. Michael Porter Jr. struggled from the field in a 5-of-16 effort, but contributed a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Gordon scored 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and James stopped the defense in the last two possessions of the Lakers.
LeBron’s 40 isn’t enough
James scored 40 points and just had a triple-double with 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals. He shot 15-of-25 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. He turned up the volume in the first half as he watched the Lakers win. But the 38-year-old couldn’t keep up the pace after halftime in a game where he played all but the final seconds of the first half.
Davis finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and a steal. Rui Hachimura scored 10 points in his postseason debut in the starting lineup. Dennis Schröder replaced D’Angelo Russell as the starting point guard after Russell struggled to contain Murray on defense throughout the series. Schröder finished with 13 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Russell scored 4 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
The Nuggets will rest before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, scheduled for June 1 in Denver. They will face the winner between Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. The eighth-seeded Heat will look to complete their own sweep of the Celtics on Tuesday in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, will rest and prepare. They are four wins away from their first NBA championship.
