- Aaron Gordon had a postseason career-high 29 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3.
- With 22 points, Jamal Murray led the Nuggets to a decisive victory in their seventh consecutive postseason matchup.
- No NBA team has ever overcome a 0–3 playoff deficit in Los Angeles, where Game 4 is set to take place on Saturday night.
Led by a resilient veteran core, the Denver Nuggets pose a serious threat to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. Aaron Gordon had a postseason career-high 29 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3 as the Nuggets defeated the Lakers 112-105.
With 22 points, Jamal Murray led the Nuggets to a decisive victory in their seventh consecutive postseason matchup with LeBron James and the Lakers. In all three games, Denver has come back from a double-digit hole, and the Nuggets made a special effort to commend a team they had completely outplayed recently following Game 3.
Game 3 first-round series
No NBA team has ever overcome a 0–3 playoff deficit in Los Angeles, where Game 4 is set to take place on Saturday night. James contributed 26 points and nine assists, and Anthony Davis finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who haven’t defeated the Nuggets since December 16, 2022. Since December 16, 2022, the Lakers have not defeated the Nuggets, and they have not appeared to be able to break that record.
With a play-in victory over New Orleans to secure the seventh spot, Los Angeles, who had played mainly excellently since the holidays, advanced into the postseason led by Austin Reaves, who finished with 22 points.
The Lakers were up 12 games to none going into this series, but now they are one win away from missing out on a postseason berth for the third time in four years since winning the NBA championship in 2020.
Because their starting lineup has been together for a long period, the Nuggets are confident they will win a title. The Lakers, on the other hand, felt outmatched, disoriented, and disappointed as they were unable to take advantage of Denver’s offensive flexibility. Los Angeles hasn’t had a home game in sixteen days, and since March 24, they have only triumphed once.
The Nuggets are 16-4 in the playoffs from the previous season and seem capable of rolling through the postseason once more after easily defeating the talented Lakers through three games, despite the Lakers’ problems.