The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
The Lakers’ unexpected postseason run came to a screeching halt on Monday night as the Nuggets beat LA on its home court, 113-111, to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
The Lakers led by 15 at halftime but scored just 38 second-half points as a virtuoso, 40-point performance from LeBron James was squandered.
After a massive third quarter where Denver outscored the Lakers by 20, the visitors found themselves up six with less than three minutes to play in LA, but James and Co. clawed their way back to to tie the game with 1:13 remaining.
Nikola Jokic, though, would help Denver regain a 113-111 lead, hitting a layup with 51.1 seconds remaining, and Aaron Gordon blocked James at the buzzer to secure the historic win.
Jokic ended the game with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists as Denver finished off a sweep of their opponents.
Nikola Jokic had yet another triple-double as he named the MVP of the Western Conference Finals
Aaron Gordon delivered a final block on LeBron James to clinch the sweep of the Lakers
Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone celebrates with the Western Conference Trophy
And, it could be the first of four sweeps across the NBA and NHL playoffs this week.
In the other NBA Conference Finals, the Heat could sweep the Celtics Tuesday night, heading into Game 4 with a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, something similar is happening in the NHL conference finals, with the Florida Panthers up 3-0 on the Carolina Hurricanes and the Las Vegas Golden Knights up 2-0 on the Dallas stars with Game 3 of their series to be played Tuesday.
Jamal Murray also added 25 points for the newly-minted Western Conference champions, while Aaron Gordon had 22.
Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 15 and 13 respectively as well as every starter scored in double figures.
Jokic was named the MVP of the Western Conference Finals after the game.
‘It’s a collective effort for real,’ Jokic said after the game on ESPN. ‘We are growing as a team and a franchise.’
James was full of praise for his opponents after the game.
‘Me and AD were just talking in the locker room a little bit. I think we came to the consensus that [they’re] if not one of the best, probably the best team that we’ve played since we’ve been together for our four years,’ he said.
‘They’re just well-orchestrated, well put together, they have scoring, they have shooting, they have playmaking, they have smarts, they have length, they have depth.
LeBron James’ 40-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist effort was not enough for the Lakers
