By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals best-of-seven series between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, Nikola Jokic registered a huge triple-double. Still, the spotlight naturally fell on Jamal Murray.
“He just needed a little bit to get hot,” the Serbian superstar referred to Murray immediately after celebrating his teammate’s buzzer-beating game-winner alongside the rest of the players and the Ball Arena crowd on Monday, “He had a couple of easy shots and he made that kind of shot. We trust him, even if he struggles.”
The defending champions jumped to 2-0 in the NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel series. The Joker tallied 27 points, 20 rebounds, ten assists, and two steals, and Murray ended up with 20 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two blocks. A tenth win in a row against the Lakers, including a four-game sweep in the Western Conference Finals of the 2023 Playoffs.
“Jamal took the ball and we had 13 seconds to score. They put LeBron on Jamal and AD on me so they can switch pick-and-roll. We tried to put KCP in it to make them play coverage and not switch pick-and-rolls. We did not achieve that, they still switched. Jamal made a tough shot that he can actually make, of course,” Jokic described the last offensive possession after heading to the postgame press conference.
The series continues in crypto.com Arena for Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 on the next installment of NBA Saturdays.