No NBA team has managed to qualify in the entire history of the North American professional basketball league after being down 3-0 in the playoffs. There is therefore little hope for the Los Angeles Lakers after their third loss, Saturday, May 20, against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference final (108-119).
And it’s not the scenario of the first game of the series played in Los Angeles that can instill a hint of positivity in LeBron James and his teammates.
No sooner had they managed to take a short advantage in the fourth and final quarter, than the Lakers suffered the lightning. The Nuggets, who had largely led during the meeting, then stepped on the accelerator and signed a fatal 13-0 in three minutes to destroy California’s chances of finally winning a success in this series.
The tremendous momentum the Lakers had been building since the transfer deadline earlier in the season was finally shattered in that Nuggets powerhouse Conference Finals. Until Saturday, the Californians had seven consecutive victories at home since the start of the playoffs.
First NBA final in sight for the Nuggets
In the end, Jamal Murray scored 37 points for the Nuggets – including 30 points in the first period -; teammate Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists.
On the side of the Lakers, Anthony Davis signed 28 points and took 18 rebounds; LeBron James, for his part, scored 23 points, delivered twelve assists and seven rebounds, making three award-winning 3-point shots after missing a shot early in the game.
Nikola Jokic’s formidable streak of four straight triple-doubles came to an end in a rather quiet game for the two-time MVP (most valuable player), in 2021 and 2022. But the Serb does not care when the Nuggets have never been so close to the NBA Finals in forty-seven years of franchise history. Game 4 of the series is Monday night, again in Los Angeles.