Going into Game 5 on Monday night, Jamal Murray was questionable with a calf strain.
At the conclusion of Game 5 on Monday night, Murray had played the role of hero.
Murray, with 32 points and 7 assists on five made triples, hit a leaning, fading jump shot with under five seconds to go to give the Nuggets a 108-106 lead. The Lakers, with no timeouts, needed to get the ball up the floor in a hurry. LeBron James, bringing the ball up the left side, was cut off by Nikola Jokic and passed to Taurean Prince, whose last second heave from center court fell well short of the basket. The Denver crowd went into a frenzy.
Both clubs went back and forth late, going bucket for bucket. James drove and dunked with an emphatic two-hand slam. Murray drove and dunked on James. Michael Porter Jr. hit a three. Austin Reaves hit one that bounced on the rim before falling in. Murray hit a three in transition.
Murray hit 13-of-28 shots, but Austin Reaves did an honorable job on him in the series. Nikola Jokic put up a monster outing of 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 9 assists. Porter Jr. scored. 26 on an efficient 8-for-12.
The Nuggets shot 47.2 percent to the Lakers’ 46.4. The Nuggets made 16-of-38 triples, the Lakers 10-for-25.
Anthony Davis, impacted by a bad shoulder that he hurt in the second half, scored 17 and pulled down 15 rebounds. It was a gutsy effort from Davis, who was noticeably in pain and favoring the shoulder but still rebounded and defended at a high level. James led the Lakers with 30 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds on 11-for-21. All five Laker starters finished in double figures, with Austin Reaves scoring 19, Rui Hachimura 15 and D’Angelo Russell 14.
The Nugget win sets up a second round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who impressively swept the Phoenix Suns in round one. The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves in the first round last season, 4-1.
This year’s matchup figures to be more exciting. Anthony Edwards has taken a leap this postseason, and he and Murray will be a duel on the wings. Murray should be guarded by the defensively-inclined Mike Conley, while Edwards will see Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon. On the interior, the Timberwolves have big men to counter Jokic, which three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and 7-foot forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns and Porter Jr. are two very good shooters from the outside. The Wolves also have Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid coming off the bench.
The series begins Saturday with Game 1, the time yet to be determined.
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