Nuggets sweep Lakers despite hero LeBron

Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the best of the West during the regular season, the team will fight for the first ring in its history against the winner of the East final, where the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 3-0. .

With his most shocking and uncontestable victory over the Lakers, Denver finished all four West finals in a row and bit the dust. LeBron on a massive and unforgettable night He rested in only 4 seconds of the 48-minute match.He had two options to force overtime, but his first shot went to the side of the board and the second, already on the bell, was blocked by Aaron Gordon.

With the statistics against him for not coming back from 3-0 in the NBA, LeBron took responsibility for his team at the moment of greatest despair, and at the age of 38 40 points (15 on 25 shots), 10 rebounds and 9 assists in a great recital. LeBron dazzled with 21 points in the first quarter and hit 31 before the timeout (a new record for him in the half of the playoffs).

But all that sweat, effort and epic hurt him in the second half, where he came in with little power, and in the end it didn’t work out against the extraordinarily tough, compact and fearsome Nuggets. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. and the ‘Magic’ Johnson award as the MVP of the Western finale. The Serbian prodigy had his eighth triple-double in these playoffs, thus securing a win. New Record Defeating Wilt Chamberlain (seven in 1967). Murray (25 points) and Gordon (22 points) also shone with a crushing Nuggets in the third quarter (16-36) and came out victorious in a fierce fight with very limited rotations (Mike Malone used just seven players and Darvin Ham used eight Lakers). Anthony Davis finished with more or less 21 points and 14 rebounds for the Los Angeles team that closed the roller coaster this season after a disastrous start (2-10), a fantastic comeback and some exciting playoffs where they knocked out Memphis. Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.

LeBron, keep it up

Unmistakable Ham launched the entire offensive arsenal with Dennis Schroder and Rui Hachimura replacing the much misguided D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt. LeBron, Davis, and Austin Reaves completed the most offensive fives possible, while an 11-4 starting purple and golds braved the Lakers before 6 of the Lakers took over. With one mission between his eyebrows and a razor-sharp killing instinct, LeBron showed himself with tremendous talent. 11 of 13 shots from the field in the first quarter Including a perfect 4 out of 4 in 3s. Everything went great for an inexhaustible LeBron, so much so that he accidentally hit a very lucky trio while searching for an “alley-oop” for Hachimura. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope fired a three-pointer for the visitors, but LeBron’s 21 points were enough for the win. Lakers to close first quarter (34-28) Stunning stats like Davis’ 8 rebounds or Jokic’s 6 assists.

Two straight three-pointers from Schroder and a jump ball from LeBron gave the Lakers their first major lead (5:18, 55-43). Logically with a point less urgent than some Lakers on the rope, the Nuggets had notable defensive mismatches and allowed 36 points in paint. In its place, Angelenos finished the first half superior (73-58) and they left the night’s anecdote with the introduction of the almost unprecedented Tristan Thompson, the best example of how they will try absolutely anything to avoid a 4-0.

Denver is rising

One hurdle on these very short petrol Lakers has been their irregularity and inconsistency throughout the four quarters. This time the mound was in the third period and it turned out to be a big crater for the locals. painful 16-36 (89-94) in the third quarter after reaching the final period). With 13 points and 10 rebounds in the penultimate quarter alone, a giant Jokic led some of the returning Nuggets’ offense, taking advantage of the Lakers’ numerous shooting errors. it’s too easy to miss baskets (7 out of 24 in that quarter) and in the preservation of the picture. Denver had six offensive rebounds and the return basket was saved by Caldwell-Pope with two plus one after his team’s three offensive rebounds in a row. Porter Jr. Faced with some Nuggets they added to Gordon from Murray via the DM, LeBron scored just 4 goals in some low-energy Lakers, with clear signs of fatigue.

Already in the last quarter, Jokic made two offensive fouls on LeBron and was only a short distance from his shower. In addition, a healed Davis leveled the game for the Lakers with five minutes to go. The result left incredible images, like an incredible trio of Jokic in the ‘fadeaway’, on one leg and in the last second of possession. At the last minute, Jokic doubled the Nuggets, the Lakers were no longer able to score despite attempts by a tongue-tied LeBron, and Denver took their first-ever Finals ticket.