Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray has turned into the Los Angeles Lakers’ worst nightmare.
Murray last week stunned the Lakers with an iconic dagger to complete a 20-point Nuggets comeback in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series (video here).
Murray did the same thing in Game 5 to end the Lakers’ season in front of his home fans at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo.
With the score tied at 106, Murray drained the go-ahead midrange shot near the left elbow to ice the game for the defending champions.
JAMAL MURRAY CAME UP CLUTCH AGAIN FOR THE NUGGETS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DDqgg3C3KT
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 30, 2024
The Lakers still had 3.6 seconds left after Murray’s shot but didn’t have any timeouts remaining. All they could muster was a halfcourt heave from Taurean Prince that was well short of the rim.
There was a possibility that Murray wasn’t even going to play in Game 5. The Nuggets star was listed as questionable on the injury report before the contest due to a lingering calf issue.
Murray powered through the pain to lead all scorers with 32 points on 13/28 shooting from the field. He also added 3 rebounds and 7 assists.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was one rebound shy of a monstrous triple-double. The 2-time MVP finished with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 9 rebounds in the contest.
The Nuggets’ series win secured them a date with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semis.
