The Denver Nuggets gave another valiant effort but ultimately came up short.
After a relatively lackluster Game 4, Nikola Jokic came out firing for the Denver Nuggets in Game 5. First, knocking down a corner three, and later collecting a steal on the Los Angeles Lakers’ inbound pass that turned into a Jerami Grant layup.
Denver lead 12-7 with 6:54 remaining in the period.
However, foul trouble reared it’s ugly head during Jokic’s hot start; the Serbian center picked up two quick fouls, and sat for half of the first quarter.
With their star big man on the bench, Denver’s offense flowed through rookie phenom Michael Porter Jr., as he drilled a contested wing three and converted an easy layup following a self-dish off the backboard.
Michael Porter Jr really threw it off the backboard to himself in an elimination game in the Conference Finals. You can't tell me it's not personal vs. Kuzma. pic.twitter.com/Am5m3h1mdM
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 27, 2020
At the end of one, the Nuggets trailed 33-30.
Jokic scored the first four points for Denver to begin the second, but picked up his third personal foul with 9:32 left in the first half. With him unable to stay out of foul trouble, he was sidelined for the majority of the period.
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1310033032590417920
With 4:34 remaining, the Lakers had a nine-point lead, and heading into halftime, their lead was 10 (61-51).
Despite playing just eight minutes in the first half, Jokic was Denver’s leading scorer in that time with nine points. Jamal Murray scored eight points on 3-8 shooting, and Mason Plumlee and Porter both scored seven points off the Nuggets’ bench.
LeBron James scored 16 points, collected seven rebounds and dished out six assists for Los Angeles in the first half.
To begin the second half, it was reported that Murray was dealing with pain in his knee, and he was visibly exhausted throughout the third quarter.
But with 4:29 remaining, Dwight Howard picked up a flagrant foul for excessive contact on Paul Millsap, and it seemingly put the Nuggets into another gear.
At one point leading by 16, Los Angeles led by just three (87-84) heading into the final period of play.
https://twitter.com/nuggets/status/1310046918727233536
It was a game of ping pong to begin the fourth, as neither side took much of an advantage. Denver trailed by four (95-91) with 7:49 remaining as Los Angeles took a timeout.
Down the stretch, the Nuggets — sans Jokic — could not find their offensive groove. Smelling blood, LeBron went ballistic to close the game.
James scored seven of Los Angeles’ last nine points, and led the Lakers to a 117-107 victory. The miraculous story of the Nuggets came to an end in what was largely appropriate fashion, with Denver fighting every second of the clock.
The Nuggets had six players score in double-figures, as Jokic and Grant tallied 20 points each.
LA, on the other hand, was led by a monstrous performance from LeBron. Looking to make his 10th Finals appearance, he notched a triple-double with 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.
As the Lakers make their 32nd NBA Finals appearance, Denver will reflect on a phenomenal postseason that saw them comeback from two 3-1 deficits.
One that elevated Murray to superstar status.
While the NBA’s future remains uncertain, fans of the Denver Nuggets should be ecstatic about the direction of this organization.