By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Serb superstar Nikola Jokic was contained by foul trouble, and Jamal Murray cooled off after scoring 30 points in the first half.
However, Murray finished the night with 37 points, Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Nuggets got a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 road victory over the Lakers.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half for the Nuggets, who have never been this close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league.
Denver sealed the deal with Murray and Jokic repeatedly running a two-man pick-and-roll game suggested by “Coach Jokic,” according to coach Michael Malone.
“This group is capable of doing great things, and they believe,” Malone said. “Belief is a very powerful thing.”
No team has rallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 is Monday night in Los Angeles.
“I can’t speak for the guys right now because I don’t know what’s going through all their minds, but I still (believe),” said LeBron James, who had 23 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds. “So it’s time to go right back home and start to refuel and start the treatment process and recovery process and get ready for Monday. My mindset is always locked in.”
Anthony Davis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who hadn’t lost three straight games since early February. German guard Dennis Schroder added five points and no team has ever managed to comeback after getting itself to a 0-3 hole.