Jamal Murray has done it again.
The Denver Nuggets star, coming off a huge win in Game 2 of the series, hit another game-winner on Monday night to officially conclude his opening-round series over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Murray, who had the game tied in the final seconds, skillfully shot the ball over Austin Reeves from inside the free throw line to win the Lakers 108-106. His shot fell with just under four seconds left, which wasn't enough time for the Lakers to respond because they didn't have a timeout.
This officially gave the Nuggets a 4-1 win over the Lakers, sending them to the Western Conference semifinals. They will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were swept by the Phoenix Suns in their first-round series.
Murray, who was questionable Monday night with a calf strain, hit a buzzer-beater while falling out of bounds in Game 2, putting the Nuggets up 2-0.
“I'm speechless. It's a dream come true,” Murray told TNT. “All these fans on your side to get it done this way, I don't know. I don't know what to say. I'm just happy for us.”
The Lakers, who swept the Nuggets in the Western Conference final last season, have lost in the opening round of the playoffs twice in the past four seasons.
Lakers stumble after Anthony Davis injury
After the Lakers held a slight halftime lead, thanks to a 12-0 run in the second quarter to bounce back from an early gap, the Lakers nearly lost Davis immediately after the break.
Davis took a shot to his left shoulder after colliding with Michael Porter Jr. in the opening minutes of the second half. The two hit it down the middle of the track, and Davis immediately landed hard on the field. He remained on the ground for several minutes as well, clearly in severe pain, before finally getting up and heading to the bench.
The shot itself didn't look like anything drastic, but it clearly hit Davis in exactly the right place to leave an impact. He remained in the game after the timeout, but was stuck with his neck and his arm was seen dangling several times over the next few possessions. He had 16 points and nine rebounds at that point. He finished with 17 points and 15 boards.
Despite the injury, the Lakers briefly increased the lead to nine points near the middle of the period after a huge three-pointer from LeBron James. Meanwhile, Davis has been largely useless offensively since then. When he grabbed his 10th rebound of the night, he immediately grabbed his shoulder in pain.
That nine-point advantage quickly disappeared for the Lakers. The Nuggets then went on a 19-5 run to take the lead just a few minutes later, which included a huge 3-pointer from Porter despite his powerful shot that sent him down the court.
Davis returned to the locker room late in the half but returned to the field to start the fourth period. Although the Lakers took a brief lead midway through the final period, Murray missed four quick points and delivered a massive dunk over James and then immediately crumpled him under the rim.
The two teams took turns in the final minutes, but Murray hit a huge three-pointer to restore the Nuggets' two-point lead with one minute left. James hit two free throws at the other end to tie the score at 106-106, setting up the winning goal for Murray.
James just completed a triple-double for the Lakers. He had 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in the loss while shooting 11 of 21 from the field. Reeves added 19 points.
Murray led the Nuggets with 32 points and seven assists, and made 5 of 10 from behind the arc. Porter added 26 points, and Nikola Jokic added 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.
The Nuggets will now face the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals starting Saturday in Denver. Minnesota swept the Phoenix Suns in their series on Sunday night for their first playoff series in two decades.
