By Daniel Paiz

Jamal Murray hits the game-winning shot to give Denver a 2-0 lead, as the Denver Nuggets win 101-99 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Nikola Jokic had his 17th playoff triple-double with 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists; it’s the fourth time someone has had a triple-double with 20-20-10 in league history. Jamal Murray notched 20 points and five assists while Michael Porter Jr had equally important 22 points and nine rebounds (the ninth one being the one that was passed to Murray for his game winning shot).

The Lakers had 32 points and 11 rebounds from Anthony Davis, 26 points and 12 assists from LeBron James, and a much needed 23 points and six assists from D’Angelo Russell. The Lakers led for a majority of this game, not relinquishing lead really until the fourth quarter. Little bench help and no shows from Hachimura and Reaves contributed to the 20-point lead being reduced gradually through the second half. Denver takes a 2-0 series lead heading to LA. This one requires a quarter-by-quarter breakdown of what has transpired tonight.

Game 2 Recap

Michael Porter Jr. hit the opening shot of Game 2 to give Denver a 3-0 lead and he had Denver’s first five points. The Lakers score early and often as Russell has nine points, and Reaves, James, and Davis have all scored as well. Denver has had a few good stops, but they’ve once again let LA set the pace with a 15-9 lead, Denver timeout. Running is working for the road team, and Head Coach Malone has to talk to Denver to reinforce the game plan. As the first quarter winds down, Jokic has a mini 5-0 run of his own to cut the lead to five, 24-19 with 3:22 to go. Denver closes the gap a bit more as it’s 28-24 after the first quarter. Nikola Jokic has 10 points and 10 rebounds in one quarter, unreal.

The Nuggets close the lead to one before Russell hits another three, making it 36-32 around the eight-minute mark. Denver is getting steals, but then settling too much for three-point attempts. Denver is still trying to hit open shots here, not driving enough and not getting stops despite LA turning the ball over several times. 45-37 with 4:40 to go, Denver has to both attack the paint more and up the defensive pressure. LA has hit their shots, Denver has not, and it is 59-44 at halftime. The second quarter seemed to be out of sorts for the Nuggets, and it will take a concerted effort to cut into this lead.

Third quarter is more of the second quarter as LA continues to play a very slow-paced, methodical game that Denver seems content to play for some reason. 4:39 to go in the third is where Jokic gets to the hoop, and the Nuggets are upping the speed in play, cutting the lead to 74-61. When the home team speeds up the game, it tends to work in their favor, especially after some solid defensive stops. That pace continues to help after buckets from Jokic and Christian Braun, as the lead is cut to 79-69 with 39.5 seconds to go. Denver is starting to get some momentum.

Offensive rebounding has been rediscovered in the fourth quarter for Denver, and it’s one of several reasons Denver has cut the lead. 82-77 LA lead at the 8:18 mark; Denver is getting stops, staying home on defense and pushing the pace again with good passing. When the Nuggets combine these traits, they get back into games. 89-85 LA lead with 4:14 to go after Gordon hits a few free throws and Jokic hits a little floater. Both teams are exhausted here, Denver has to dig in a bit more.

There is hustle, there is sloppiness, there is emotion all over the court and Michael Porter Jr. hits a huge three to tie it at 95 all with 1:15 in the final quarter. 99-99 with 16 seconds to go as James misses a wide open three. This last sequence unfolds in slow motion.

With 12.1 seconds left, Michael Porter Jr. grabs his ninth rebound and passes the ball to Jamal Murray. Murray brings the ball down the court, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sets a pick and moves away. Jokic moves towards Murray, backs off, and James and Davis switch who they’re defending. Murray dribbles, moving towards the baseline. Jamal Murray creates a bit more space from Davis as he shoots a fadeaway with 0.1 seconds remaining.

Jamal Murray’s shot swishes through the net, clock expires, and teammates swarm Murray after he falls in front of Denver’s bench. Ball Arena swells with explosive excitement as the Denver crowd roars and cheers at this historic game-winning shot. Denver leads the series 2-0.

Clearing up a few things

Lakers coach Darvin Ham complaining about the whistle is hilarious when LA was called for 20 fouls while Denver was called for 17; 17 free throws for Denver, 13 for LA. In Game 1, it was 20 called on Denver, 15 on LA. That’s not one-sided foul calls like Ham makes it sound (and like Nuggets fans thought in Game 1). The whistle did not determine this game. The NBA on TNT commentators stated the same thing.

Two big things happened in Game 2. First, Denver pushed the pace a bit more and got guys not named Nikola Jokic to score and get more involved. Second, LA went on autopilot and also played into Jokic’s hands, which is to distribute the ball. A 20-point deficit in the playoffs can’t be given up, and the road team did that. All of the pressure is now on LA in Game 3. Denver has to keep finding a way to get going but must do so in the first half to remove this kind of pressure.