Jamal Murray nears triple-double, Nuggets win Game 3, 114-106

The Denver Nuggets looked to avoid going down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

In the first quarter, Nikola Jokic and the DenverNuggets were sharp. With 2:26 to play, Denver was leading 22-20, and heading into the second quarter, Denver led 29-27.

Jokic scored 11 points on 5-7 shooting in the first period and tallied four rebounds and two assists as the Nuggets shot 60% from the field.

Denver opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run, which included a Michael Porter Jr. three-pointer in the grill of LeBron James. The Nuggets, completely in rhythm, took a nine-point advantage (36-27) with 10:47 left in the first half.

With Jokic on the bench, Denver continued their onslaught of the Lakers, and the Nuggets led by 15 points (44-29) with 8:53 remaining. Making an overdue run, Los Angeles nearly cut Denver’s lead to single-digits before the break. However, the Nuggets managed to maintain a double-digit lead (63-53) heading into halftime.

Jokic was phenomenal in the first half, with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Jamal Murray added 12 points and six assists. Denver’s bench contributed as well, with Monte Morris scoring 12 points and Porter scoring 9 points.

Los Angeles was led by Anthony Davis and LeBron in the first half, with James nearly recording a double-double (10 points and 9 assists) in the first half.

The Lakers opened the second half on a 6-0 run and Murray picked up a flagrant foul for an elbow to the face of James. However, the Nuggets responded with a 6-0 run themselves, and took a 71-59 lead with 8:27 remaining.

At one point in the third, Denver had an 18-point lead (87-69), and heading into the fourth the Nuggets led 93-75.

Los Angeles began the fourth on a massive 23-8 run, bringing themselves within three (101-98) with 5:26 to play thanks to Rajon Rondo’s defense and a bevy of turnovers by Denver. Fortunately for the Nuggets, they weathered the Lakers’ storm in time to close out the contest, and Denver won 114-106.

Murray nearly recorded a triple-double with a team-high 28 points,12 assists (also a team-high) and eight rebounds. Jokic added 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Both Jerami Grant and Monte Morris, x-factors in Game 3, set playoff career-highs with 26 and 14 points, respectively.

James and Davis combined for 57 points for the Lakers, as LeBron scored a game-high 30 points on the way to the 26th triple-double of his career.

While recent history is in the Nuggets’ favor, they’ll look to evade going down 3-1 to the Lakers in Game 4, which is set for September 24 at 9 p.m. (EST).