Los Angeles Lakers on precipice after home loss to Denver Nuggets in NBA playoffs

At halftime, Pau Gasol, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, Adele and the rest of the Crypto.com Arena crowd were unsure what to think. Led quickly in a game 3 to win at home (24-10 in the first quarter), the Lakers, not aggressive enough, had nibbled away to come back to 58-55. They even seemed to have finally found a solution for Nikola Jokic, the triple-double gentleman of the play-offs (7), limited to 5 points (at 2/8) and already three faults on the counter.

But it also meant the Nuggets were dominating without their usual star input. Largely because Jamal Murray, stratospheric in the fourth quarter of game 2 (23 points in twelve minutes), had not come down to earth. Thirty points at 12/20 including 4/5 from a distance. And again, his end of the second quarter, helping fatigue, had somewhat tarnished the statistical balance sheet.

The Lakers in front at the start of the fourth quarter

The third period tipped the scales in favor of hope. The “Joker” took a fourth foul defending on Anthony Davis (28 points, 18 rebounds), Murray’s hand went down in temperature (0 point) and Austin Reaves, still remarkable (23 points at 7/10), briefly brought the two teams tied (71-71). LeBron James (23 points, 7 rebounds, 12 ists) even finally scored from 3 points, his first successful long-range shot of the series. And another one right after.

The eleven points in the quarter of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17 in all), a former home, allowed Denver to stay ahead, but the game of the Lakers, the fishing for free throws (29 obtained, 22 marked ) and that defense that had stifled Memphis and then Golden State resurfaced.

So logically, at the start of the fourth quarter, the locals took control (85-84) with a three-pointer from Rui Hachimura (13 points at 5/12) but there were eleven minutes left to play. Plenty of time to shine when you’re the unofficial best player in the world and enough time to win when you’re officially the best team in the west.

The Lakers’ first home loss in these playoffs

The Nuggets, more applied (5 loss of balls against 12) gently broke the purple and gold. Bruce Brown (15 points), Jeff Green (5 points), Murray (37 points, 7 rebounds, 6 ists) and Jokic (24 points, 6 rebounds, 8 ists) all scored at least once from a distance in the final minutes , the Serb responding to a three-pointer from LeBron who had replaced the Lakers at 8 minus.

Denver inflicts LA its first loss at home in these play-offs: 119-108, the biggest gap of the series. Darvin Ham, coach of the Lakers, repeats that in the NBA, unlike the NCAA tournament, you have to be beaten four times to go home. But in the entire history of the NBA, never has a team trailing 3-0, even snatching a Game 7, managed to qualify.