Jamal Murray on fire as Denver Nuggets beat Los Angeles Lakers to move 1 game away from NBA Finals

The Denver Nuggets need one more victory to make their first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals.

Early on May 21st, the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-108 in Game 3 to establish a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference playoffs.

In Game 4 on Monday in Los Angeles, they can end the series. The Nuggets have made it to the conference finals four times since leaving the ABA for the NBA in 1976, but each time they fell to the Lakers in 1978, 1985, 2009, and 2020.

With 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles had an 85-84 lead, but the Nuggets pulled away thanks to strong play on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Denver overcame the Lakers to move one win away from the NBA Finals, as Jamal Murray once again led the Nuggets in scoring.

Jamal Murray picked up where he left off in Game 2 and scored points in Game 3. 

Murray ended with a game-high 37 points, seven rebounds, and six assists after scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter on Thursday.

In the last two games, he has scored 74 points. Murray has found space to work offensively as the Lakers have tightened their defense against Nikola Jokic, the big who was the two-time MVP of the Nuggets.

Jokic, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and Michael Porter Jr. all hit crucial free throws as Denver outscored the Lakers 35–26 in the fourth quarter.

Despite playing with foul problems and failing to produce another triple-double like he did in the previous two games of the series, Jokic finished with 24 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, including 15 in the fourth quarter.

Caldwell-Pope scored 17 points, Porter had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists, and Brown, who came off the bench, contributed 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Knowing that no team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series, the Lakers' season is on the line. 

LeBron James scored 23 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds, while Anthony Davis led Los Angeles with 28 points and 18 rebounds. The Lakers just made 31.3% of their 3-point attempts and shot only 45.2% overall.

The dominant Nuggets, who have won five straight playoff games, ultimately stopped Los Angeles' who have been on the rise since the trade deadline.