Jamal Murray has done it again.
After hitting a wild buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the series, the Denver Nuggets star scored another game-winning goal on Monday night, officially ending the playoff series opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the score tied in the final minutes of the game, Murray expertly made a jumper over Austin Reaves from just inside the free throw line to seal a 108-106 victory over the Lakers. His shot fell with less than four seconds left, but it wasn't enough time for the Lakers' final shot attempt to fall.
With this, the Nuggets officially won the series against the Lakers 4-1 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals. They will now face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who defeated the Phoenix Suns in the playoff series.
Murray, who was ruled out Monday night because of a calf strain, hit a buzzer-beater while falling wide in Game 2 to give the Nuggets a 2-0 lead.
“I'm speechless. It's a dream come true,” Murray said on TNT. “I don't know how the fans were on our side to get the game done the way it did. I don't know what to say. We're just happy.”
The Lakers, who were swept by the Nuggets in last season's Western Conference Finals, have lost in the opening round of the playoffs twice in the past four seasons.
Lakers stumble due to Anthony Davis injury
After the Lakers held a slight lead at the break, they nearly lost Davis right after the break thanks to a 12-0 run that rallied from an early hole in the second quarter.
Davis collided with Michael Porter Jr. early in the second half and took a big shot to his left shoulder. The two hit the middle of the lane, and Davis immediately fell hard to the court. He also remained seated for several minutes, clearly in severe pain, but eventually got up and walked to the bench.
The shot itself wasn't spectacular, but it clearly hit the right spot and left an impact. He remained in the game after the timeout, but only grabbed him by the neck and let his arm dangle during the next few possessions. At this point, he had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Despite the injury, the Lakers briefly extended their lead to nine points near the middle of the period on James' big 3-pointer. Davis, on the other hand, has been largely useless on the court since then. When he grabbed his 10th rebound of the night, he immediately grabbed his shoulder in pain.
That nine-point advantage was for the Lakers. The Nuggets took the lead just minutes later with a huge 3-pointer that sparked a 19-5 run, even though Porter hit a big shot that sent him flying across the court.
Davis returned to the locker room late in the period, but returned to the court for his fourth start. The Lakers briefly took the lead midway through the final period, but Murray ultimately took control. Murray dropped four quick points, threw down a huge dunk on James, and immediately ducked under James under the rim.
Then, after a wild back-and-forth, Murray made a huge 3-pointer with one minute left to put the Nuggets back up to two points. This sealed his final game, officially giving the Nuggets a two-point victory and the series victory.
James fell just short of a triple-double for the Lakers. He had 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the loss. Reaves had 19 points and Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds.
Murray led the Nuggets with 32 points and seven assists, going 5-of-10 from behind the basket. Porter had 26 points and Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.
The Nuggets will face the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals starting Saturday in Denver. Minnesota dominated the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night in their first series in 20 years.
