The Denver Nuggets took a 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers thanks to an incredible game-winner at the buzzer from Jamal Murray. Murray hit that shot over Anthony Davis and when the Lakers star was asked about that final play in his postgame press conference, he gave a rather short answer and walked off.
“Jamal Murray made a shot,” Davis said.
Anthony Davis:
“Jamal Murray made a shot.”
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 23, 2024
You can understand that Davis would have been incredibly frustrated at that point. As far as gut-wrenching playoff losses go, this one has to be near the top of the list in Lakers history.
The Lakers seemed to have this one in the bag, as they led by 20 points at one stage in the third quarter. They also led 89-81 with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but weren’t able to hold on. Murray’s game-winner capped off a 16-8 run to end the contest for the Nuggets, as they won 101-99.
This was the Lakers’ 10th straight loss to the Nuggets and just like in so many of those previous meetings, it all came down to execution down the stretch. Denver once again did a better job in that regard than Los Angeles and is now in the driver’s seat in this series.
Of all the 10 losses, though, this one definitely stings the most. The Lakers had dominated the Nuggets for long stretches of this game, with Davis leading the charge. The 31-year-old had 24 points at the half and had made 11 of his 12 shots. He was winning that matchup with Nikola Jokic at that point and all seemed well in Lakerland. Then came the fourth quarter, where everything fell apart.
Davis was a non-factor on offense in the final period, as he took just one shot and went scoreless. Maybe it was down to fatigue as the nine-time All-Star had played so hard on both ends of the court, but you need your stars to come up big in the big moments and he didn’t do that here.
Davis finished with a great stat line, as he had 32 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Of all that, though, just one rebound came in the fourth.
Someone who did step up in that final period was Murray. The Nuggets guard had struggled mightily for much of that game and had just six points on 3-16 shooting from the field after the first three quarters. In the fourth, though, he exploded for 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field to lead his team to victory. It’s not how you start, but how you finish, and Murray stepped up in a big way when it mattered most.
Darvin Ham Admits It Stings After Losing On A Jamal Murray Buzzer-Beater
While the Lakers players are understandably disappointed about how that game ended, their head coach, Darvin Ham, stated they now have to return the favor. Ham admitted it stung after the Lakers lost on a Murray buzzer-beater but wants his team to give the Nuggets the same feeling in Game 3.
“It stings. Remember this feeling as we go back to LA. We need to give them this feeling in Game 3.”
Unfortunately for Ham, it seems very unlikely that his team would be causing the Nuggets much pain moving forward in this series. I still don’t think the Lakers will get swept here, but it’s hard to see them winning more than a game at this point.
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