Nuggets on brink of NBA Finals with 119-108 win over Lakers in Game 3

LOS ANGELES(AP) — Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 pointsand eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead inthe Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the LosAngeles Lakers on Saturday night.

KentaviousCaldwell-Pope scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half againsthis former team for the top-seeded Nuggets, who have never beenthis close to the NBA Finals in 47 years in the league.

Denver blewa big early lead in Game 3, but made a decisive 13-0 run in thefourth quarter to snap the Lakers’ nine-game home winning streaksince March 26, including seven straight victories since theregular season ended.

No team hasrallied from a 3-0 playoff series deficit in NBA history. Game 4 isMonday night in Los Angeles.

AnthonyDavis had 28 points and 18 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Lakers,who hadn’t lost three straight games since early February. LosAngeles’ prolonged, desperate surge ever since the trade deadlinehas finally run out of steam against the powerhouse Nuggets, whohave won five consecutive playoff games.

LeBronJames had 23 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds for Los Angeles,hitting three 3-pointers after starting the series 0 for 13 fromdistance. Austin Reaves added 23 points and seven rebounds, but RuiHachimura was the only other Lakers scorer to crack double figureswith 13 points.

Jokic’sstreak of four consecutive triple-doubles ended in a fairly quietgame for the two-time MVP. But Murray scored 17 points in a dynamicfirst quarter following his 23-point fourth quarter two nights ago,and he had 30 points by halftime of Game 3.

Bruce Brownscored 15 points and hit a key 3-pointer down the stretch for theNuggets before Jokic all but iced it on a 3-pointer with 3:17 toplay.

The Lakers’passionate fans turned out in force for the 17-time championfranchise’s first conference finals games at home since 2010, theyear of their last title. Los Angeles tried desperately to get backin the series, with James playing 43 minutes after spraining hisleft ankle in Game 2 on top of his already sore right foot.

But theNuggets’ flight to the coast didn’t cool off Murray in theslightest: After lighting up the Lakers to close Game 2, theCanadian guard made his first five shots in Game 3 and poured in 17points in the first quarter — even while Jokic went scoreless forthe second straight quarter.

Murray’sfourth 3-pointer of the night made him 11 of 13 from the field for26 points midway through the second quarter, scoring more than halfof Denver’s points at an unbelievable pace. Reaves and Davis keptthe Lakers in it, with Reaves racking up 15 points, three assistsand three rebounds in the second quarter alone.

Hachimura’s3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Lakers their first leadsince the opening minutes, but the Nuggets took charge again in arally highlighted by Brown’s 3-pointer with 7:02 to play, afterwhich he taunted the Lakers’ bench with Los Angeles’ own “Freeze”3-point celebration.

D’AngeloRussell had another rough game for the Lakers, scoring three pointson 1-of-8 shooting in 20 minutes. Russell was the Lakers’ biggestaddition in their trade deadline transformation, but the pointguard has just 21 points in this three-game series.

TIP-INS

Nuggets:Aaron Gordon had seven points in 32 minutes. ... Michael Porter Jr.had 14 points and 10 rebounds, capped by a 3-pointer in the final90 seconds.

Lakers:Backup C Mo Bamba missed his ninth consecutive game with a soreleft ankle. The team is hopeful Bamba can play at some point inthis series. ... Fans near courtside included Jack Nicholson, EddieMurphy, Denzel Washington, Jake Gyllenhaal, Andy Garcia, DyanCannon, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, LA Kings captain Anze Kopitar anddefenseman Drew Doughty, and Khalil Mack, Derwin James andSebastian Joseph-Day from the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense.