LOS ANGELES — — With one championship ring and a tenacious veteran core, the Denver Nuggets are a daunting matchup for any opponent in the NBA.
They’re clearly a particular nightmare for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are one game away from starting the summer after Denver extended their winning streak in this one-sided rivalry to a whopping 11 games.
Aaron Gordon had a career-high 29 points and 15 rebounds in the playoffs, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and the Nuggets advanced to the second round with a 112-105 win over the Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series on Thursday night.
Jamal Murray scored 22 points to help the defending NBA champion Nuggets win their seventh straight playoff meeting with James and the Lakers in dominant style. Denver has rallied from double-digit deficits in all three games, and the Nuggets went all out after Game 3 to compliment an opponent they’ve completely dominated as of late.
“I think every game is harder and harder,” Jokic said. “They were up 20 in Denver, they were up 12 today in the first half, but I think it’s really hard to play the same team over and over again. … It’s a really tough team and every game is really interesting and hard to beat. Every game we play is catch up and they are really talented. It’s really hard to shut down a team.”
Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, dating back to last season’s Western Conference finals victory.
“It’s fun to win games,” Porter said. “I don’t think anyone but the media is looking at the 11 (win streak) because it’s tough. It’s not easy to beat this team. In the last game, coming back from 20 points down, we had to scratch and scratch. So it’s not easy. But of course we like to win and the more times we can win the better.”
Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit in the playoffs.
Anthony Davis had 33 points and 15 rebounds and James added 26 points and nine assists for the Lakers, who haven’t beaten the Nuggets since Dec. 16, 2022 — and have rarely looked capable of ending that streak.
“You come out with the mindset of, ‘Let’s get one, force a Game 5 and then go from there,'” James said. “As long as you still have life, then you obviously have faith. I just think you play until the wheels fall off. For me, it’s always about that. It’s a mindset and I know (Davis) feels the same way.”
Austin Reaves scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which entered the postseason with a largely outstanding post-holiday performance that ended with an impressive win over New Orleans to clinch the seventh seed. The Lakers had won 12 of 15 in that streak, but are now one loss away from missing the playoffs for the third time in four years after their 2020 NBA title.
“They have championship confidence,” Lakers coach Darwin Hamm said of the Nuggets. “This starting group has been together for a long time. Their net rating is off the charts as a starting group. They got guys to step up and play.”
Davis and James were outstanding again, but they can’t go it alone. The Lakers missed 15 of their first 16 3-point attempts in Game 3, going nearly 34 minutes between 3-pointers.
D’Angelo Russell was held scoreless in 24 minutes for the Lakers, who had just two assists from their inconsistent third option on offense. Russell missed all seven of his shots, including six 3-point attempts.
Gordon, meanwhile, had the most scoring playoff game of his 10 NBA seasons, highlighted by 10 points in the third quarter as Denver took control. Jokic also made nine of his 13 shots and just missed his 17th career triple-double in the postseason.
The second-seeded Nuggets began their title defense with two wins in Denver, pulling away late in Game 1 before grabbing Game 2 with a furious comeback capped by Murray’s game-winning jumper at the buzzer.
After blowing a 20-point lead in the second half of Game 2, the seventh-seeded Lakers were left frustrated, left behind — and at times confused, according to Davis, who said the Lakers sometimes don’t know what they’re doing when faced with offensive versatility of Denver.
None of those issues were alleviated in Game 3, and now the Lakers are one loss away from ending James’ remarkable 21st NBA season. Los Angeles hadn’t played a home game in 16 days and won just once at home since March 24.
“Just last season I was up 3-0 and I found myself in Game 7,” said Lakers guard Gabe Vincent, who played for the Miami Heat last season when they nearly blew a 3-0 lead against Boston. “Crazier things have happened.”
But the Nuggets went 16-4 in the playoffs last season and look capable of making another run in the postseason after comfortably handling the talented Lakers in three games.
Russell’s disappearing act was compounded by another quiet game from starter Rui Hachimura, who had just five points while making four shots in 28 minutes.
Denver turned a small halftime deficit into a 10-point lead with a 24-10 run to start the second half, led by Gordon and Murray, who combined for 19 points in the third quarter. The Lakers never got closer than eight points late in the fourth quarter.
As Lakers fans left the building in the final minutes, a small group in the Lakers end chanted “Fire Darwin!”
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