On April 23, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued, and the Los Angeles Lakers challenged the Denver Nuggets away, although they once led by as many as 20 points, but the Lakers began to suffer a major collapse at the end of the third quarter, and finally lost 99-101 to the opponent, suffering two consecutive defeats. Trailing 2-0 in the series, they are already on the edge of a cliff.
Once the game started, the Lakers quickly got into the groove and opened the game 11-5. Back-to-back scoring by Davis and James helped the Lakers lead by 10 points at one point. However, Jokic's excellent play helped the Nuggets close the gap, and the Lakers led by just four points at 28-24 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lakers made more mistakes, and the Nuggets quickly chased down the points under the leadership of Murray and Braun. Russell of the Lakers' three-point shot was hot and hit key shots in a row to help the Lakers stabilize the situation. At halftime, the Lakers led the Nuggets by 15 points, 59-44.
In the third quarter, the Lakers' Davis continued to remain strong, frequently playing 2+1, and the Lakers once extended their lead to 20 points. But the Nuggets didn't give up, and back-to-back scoring by Porter and Jokic helped the Nuggets chase the points, and the Lakers led by 10 points at 79-69 at the end of the third quarter.
In the crucial fourth quarter, the Nuggets launched a fierce counterattack, and Braun and Murray scored to help the Nuggets chase 2 points. James hit two three-pointers in a row at a critical moment to help the Lakers stabilize the situation. But Murray stepped up in the final moments of the game, scoring back-to-back points and eventually hitting a mid-range shot to give the Nuggets a 101-99 victory over the Lakers.
In the whole game, Jokic contributed 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists to the super triple-double, Murray also had 20 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists. In addition, Porter Jr. scored 22 points and 9 rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 6-of-10 from the field, while Gordon had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
On the Lakers' side, the Zhan Mei combination played together, the former got 26 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists in the all-around data, the latter got 32 points and 11 rebounds, in addition, Russell, who did not perform well in the last game, also warmed up this game, with 23 points and 6 assists on 7-of-11 shooting from the outside;
The Nuggets' victory showed their resilience and the power of team basketball, while the Lakers will need to make adjustments in the upcoming games, especially how to better limit Jokic's play and improve the team's defensive efficiency. The next game of the series will move to Los Angeles, where the Lakers will have a chance to salvage their disadvantage at home, while the Nuggets will be looking to extend their winning streak. Fans are looking forward to an even more exciting matchup between the two teams.