Miami: Jamal Murray made the last jumper as the defending champion Denver Nuggets defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 in the NBA playoffs on Monday.
Murray’s high-scoring bucket with four seconds left ended a tight battle between the Western Conference rivals and gave Denver a 4-1 victory over Minnesota in the next round.
Murray finished with 32 points and teammate Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists as the Lakers bid to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in front of 19,861 fans at Denver’s Ball Arena.
Meanwhile, NBA legend James led the Lakers in scoring in his 21st postseason game with 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
Afterward, James opened up about his future plans, saying he will spend time with his family before preparing for the Olympics this summer.
Asked if Monday’s loss could be the last for the Lakers, James laughed and replied, “I’m not going to answer that.”
Lakers guard Anthony Davis, who played most of the game with a shoulder injury, scored 17 points with 15 rebounds and four assists.
“They’re a good team,” Lakers coach Darwin Hamm said of Denver after the loss.
“They’re the defending champions for a reason, I’ve been saying that all year and the whole series, they know how to win, they always have.”
Meanwhile, Nuggets coach Michael Malone praised Murray’s game-winner, who also nailed the game-clinching nail-biter in Game 2 of the series.
