LOS ANGELES (AP) – With a championship ring and a core of tenacious veterans, the Denver Nuggets are a daunting opponent for any opponent in the NBA. They are clearly a particular nightmare for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are one game away from an early summer after Denver stretched their winning streak in this lopsided rivalry to a whopping 11 games. Aaron Gordon scored 29 points and 15 rebounds, his best in the playoffs, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and The Nuggets moved to the brink of the second round with a 112-105 victory over the Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series Thursday night.
Jamal Murray scored 22 points to help the defending NBA champion Nuggets win their seventh straight playoff game against James and the Lakers in dominant style. Denver has rallied from a double-digit deficit in all three games, and the Nuggets went out of their way after Game 3 to praise an opponent they have completely dominated recently.
“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. They are a very tough team, and each game is very interesting and difficult to win. In every game we catch up, and they are very talented. It is very difficult to leave a team out.”
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 victory over Los Angeles, beginning with its sweep of the Western Conference finals. Last season.
“It’s fun to win games,” Porter said. “I don’t think anyone, other than the media, looks at the 11 (wins in a row), because it’s difficult. It’s not easy to beat this team. The last game, coming back from 20 points, we had to scratch and claw. So it’s not easy. But of course we like to win, and the more times we can do it, the better.”
Game 4 takes place Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever come back from being 0-3 down 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 mentality, ‘Let’s get one, force a Game 5, and then go from there,’” James said. “As long as you still have life, then obviously you have faith. I think you play until the wheels fall off. That’s what it’s always about for me. “It’s a mentality, and I know (Davis) feels the same way.”
Austin Reaves scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which reached the postseason with an outstanding game since the break, capped by an impressive victory over New Orleans to take away seventh place. The Lakers had won 12 of 15 games before this series, but are now one loss away from not winning a playoff round for the third time in four years since their 2020 NBA title.
“They have championship confidence,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of the Nuggets. “That starting group has been together for a long time. Their net rating is off the charts as a starting group. “They had guys that stepped up and made plays.”