The Los Angeles Lakers most definitely rue having to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference playoffs, as their latest defeat on Thursday night was the eleventh straight time they’ve lost to the defending champions.
The Lakers, playing at home for the first time in their first-round series against the Nuggets, gave up another double-digit lead as they fell 112-105 in Game 3 at Crypto.com Arena.
Three down #MileHighPlayoffs | #Road2Gold pic.twitter.com/b7BcJAaKhS
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 26, 2024
The Nuggets haven’t been excellent all through the series, but their dominance over the Lakers is staggering, as they got their fifth straight road win and their seventh consecutive playoff win over Los Angeles.
Denver now comfortably leads the series 3-0 and is on the brink of completing a sweep over the Lakers for the second season in a row after achieving the same fate in the Western Conference finals last season.
Aaron Gordon scored a playoff career-high 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Nuggets, and two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists.
“I think every game is tougher and tougher,” Jokic said. “They were up 20 in Denver, they were up 12 today in the first half, but I think it’s really hard to play against the same team over and over again.
“That’s a really tough team, and every game is really interesting and tough to win. Every game we’re playing catch-up, and they’re really talented. It’s really hard to close a team out.”
Jamal Murray, who called the game in Game 2 at Ball Arena, scored 22 points and dished out nine assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which had four of its five starters finish with at least 20 points.
Had a night, fellas 🤝 pic.twitter.com/r5gzjgRNMe
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 26, 2024
For Los Angeles, Anthony Davis had his third straight 30 points or more game as well as his third consecutive double-double with 33 points and 15 rebounds.
LeBron James finished with 26 points, six rebounds, and nine assists; Austin Reaves, who had his best game of the series so far, scored 22 points, while D’Angelo Russell failed to get on board in approximately 25 minutes of action.
Denver has rallied from a double-digit deficit in all three games, and they will be looking to put the series to bed in Game 4, which is scheduled for Saturday, while the Lakers will be hoping to win at home to avoid yet another sleep against the same opposition.
