Initial observations from Los Angeles after Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers.
— 1. Joker escapes slog.
What’s even crazier than Jamal Murray’s historic run? In the same 24-minute span when Murray amassed 40 points — the fourth quarter of Game 2 and the first quarter of Game 3 — Nikola Jokic did not score a single point. The Nuggets outscored the Lakers 64-44 during that consequential stretch anyway, picking up their two-time MVP as he suddenly went into an extended cold stretch. When the Lakers sliced Denver’s long-gone 14-point lead to 66-63 and forced a timeout in the third quarter, Jokic had just back-rimmed a 6-foot floater that’s usually automatic for him. He was 3 for 11 from the field in the game at that point, and he picked up his fourth foul moments later. When Jokic missed his first two shots of the fourth quarter, he was seven for his last 27 dating back to Game 2. Then he proceeded to deliver a 15-point final frame to help Denver put away LA.
— 2. How did Nuggets survive critical seven minutes?
Jokic sat the last 7:24 of the third quarter after the Nuggets failed to overturn that fourth foul with a challenge. Murray, after a blazing 30-point first half, didn’t score the entire third quarter. LeBron James made his first two 3-pointers of the series on consecutive possessions during that seven-minute stretch. Yet somehow, the Nuggets emerged from it with an 84-82 edge, a margin only one point smaller than their halftime lead. For the Lakers, it was a severe missed opportunity to pull away or even take a lead — perhaps the defining moments of a series that was starting to slip away from them. For the Nuggets, it was a testament to a gritty second unit. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made the biggest shots of his 17-point night on 10 shots, and Bruce Brown continued to make his money in transition.
— 3. Late-game lineup.
For most of the fourth quarter, Michael Malone used a lineup without Caldwell-Pope despite his surge. Also missing: Aaron Gordon, who was in the midst of a quiet night. The Nuggets rolled out Brown, Michael Porter Jr. and Jeff Green, who nailed a clutch corner 3-pointer as Denver was making its run to put away Los Angeles. Brown finished with 15 points and five assists, and he sunk a corner 3 of his own right in front of the Lakers’ bench after Green’s, all part of a 13-0 run.
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