The Nuggets Shock Their Right With The Burning Jamal Murray
Denver came from behind and managed to defeat the Lakers 108–103, with Jamal Murray hitting three-pointers to record 23 points in the final quarter.
The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers square off in the second chapter of the Western Finals, in which the locals won 108-103 to take a 2-0 lead in the series after Jamal Murray dominated in the final quarter.
It looked as though the yellow and purple would also tie in with the changes made by coach Darwin Hamm; However, these were not enough to hold out against a physical Denver team, which moved its pieces down the final stretch and found in the Canadian point guard the piece they needed to preserve their unbeaten record at home.
Jamal Murray celebrates during Game 2 of the Western Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers. Photo: AP
These are some of the keys to the Nuggets’ victory.
1.- 23 points from Murray in the last quarter
Of the 37 goals Murray recorded, 23 were in the fourth period, with the Nuggets taking a partial 32–24 lead after a 20–5 start, with which they were able to mount a comeback with which they were flirting in the third quarter. But the point guard’s contribution was not only offensive, eight of the 10 boards he recovered were defensive, in combination with Nikola Jokic’s 13 (defensive), who recorded a triple-double, capping off a good run at The Lakers. Did the first half to tie the ‘Joker’.
2.- The certainty of Michael Poitier Jr.
The forward left with 17 points, but his contribution from the arc kept his team in the fight through the first three quarters even as the Lakers tried to chip away at the scoreboard.
Porter was 4-7 from the arc, being one of the main ‘beneficiaries’ of the double marking Coach Hamm sent in for Jokic as starters alongside Anthony Davis and Jared Vanderbilt, and coming off the bench with Rui Hachimura. An adjustment that worked as the Nuggets sped up their scoring until the first half.
3.-The Lakers lost by a goal again
One of the improvements the Lakers had shown so far in the playoffs was a triple; However, in Game 2, the Angelenos were again at a loss in the zone and once the Nuggets closed their paint, forcing them to shoot from outside, but went 8-30 for 26.7% on triples. With the spoils gone, the profits built up. As Denver began to take the lead, he finished 14-for-38 (36.8%) from 3-pointers.
Thus, the Lakers saw a 4–0 streak, which they had cut short after losing Game 1 in the playoffs and Krypto under pressure not to make mistakes. NBA.
