The NBA champions repeat history. The Denver Nuggets have eliminated LeBron James’ Lakers in five games and in an agonizing final quarter (106-108). It is the second consecutive year that Los Angeles have fallen to Nikola Jokic’s team. The Nuggets will face Minnesota in the West semifinals. This Monday they won thanks to another epic game from Jamal Murray. The Canadian scored the winning shot in the second game of the series as the buzzer sounded. This Monday he sent the Lakers on vacation with a double made three seconds before time ran out.
“This one was a little better… It was incredible,” Murray joked after the game. The Denver star closed a night with 32 points, 12 of them in the fourth quarter. It was a great performance for someone who was close to watching Game 5 from the bench. Michael Malone, the coach, wanted to give him rest. The shooting guard had been in doubt due to a left calf injury. However, Murray asked to enter. Who in the NBA wants to pass up an opportunity to eliminate James in the playoffs?
Luck changed for the Lakers in the third quarter. Unlike other games in the series, the Angelenos had managed to stop the offensive machine led by Jokic in the first half of the game, when they went into halftime with a three-point lead. The champions had played the first two quarters at half speed, adding nine turnovers. The Serbian was sleepy, and the attack passed mainly through the hands of Michael Porter Jr. (26 points) and Murray himself.
In a play that seemed ordinary, Anthony Davis collided with Porter Jr. under the basket. The center fell to the ground with a face of pain and touching his left shoulder. It was bad news for the Lakers. Davis had been the Lakers’ best player in the series and this game was going to be no exception. He had scored 16 points in the first half. After the injury, however, he barely raised his left arm. The Nuggets took advantage of this moment to outscore the Lakers 31-23.
With Davis touched, the responsibility fell, as almost always, on LeBron James. At 39 years old he played 44 minutes. Only Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon spent more minutes on the court than him. In the third quarter, he was forced to step on the accelerator, shooting more three-pointers and driving to the basket with his well-known physical power. He closed his last playoff performance nearing the triple double: 30 points, 9 rebounds and 11 assists. Austin Reeves scored 19 points.
If Davis wasn’t enough drama for the Lakers, Nikola Jokic woke up in the last game of the game. The Serbian once again demonstrated why he is in the running to win his third MVP. His mid-range baskets kept his team afloat every time Los Angeles pressed. He also came close to a new triple double with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 assists.
A confrontation between Jokic and Anthony Davis became the controversial play of the night. The referees called a defensive foul by the center, but he without hesitation told Darvin Ham to request a review. The Lakers coach agreed and it was a success, since the play was changed to a block for Davis. Despite this, the challenge cost the Lakers their final timeout, so they had to put together a play after Murray’s final shot with just three seconds left and setting up from his basket. The Lakers, however, are not going home empty-handed. In December they won the first NBA Cup.
Gilgeous-Alexander frente a los Pelicans.Gerald Herbert (AP)
OKC barre a los Pelicans
The youngest team in the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, has advanced to the West semifinals after sweeping the New Orleans Pelicans (97-89) in the fourth game of the series. The Thunder have shown why they were in first position in the conference, above the Nuggets. Now they will face off with the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Luka Dončić’s Dallas Mavericks, which is currently tied 2-2.
Visiting New Orleans, Oklahoma showed a display of the team’s play, balanced in attack and defense, which has made Mark Daigeneault the coach of the year. Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 24 points. Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey added 14 points in their personal accounts. It is the franchise’s first win in a playoff series since 2016.
The Pelicans had fought almost the entire game. They led by eight points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but the Thunder began to tighten their defense and put pressure on the Pelicans’ attack, who gave up 19 points in the final minutes. Giddey tied the game with a three-pointer after a rebound recovered by Gilgeous-Alexander.
The defeat has left a bitter taste in New Orleans. The Pelicans were eliminated last year in the Play In by the Thunder, who have repeated this year in their role as executioners. The elimination has been more painful because it came after New Orleans showed a great level against Sacramento to sneak into the postseason.
The Pelicans have been shipwrecked without their great star, Zion Williamson, who did not appear against OKC due to an injury. Without this phenomenon in the attack, the responsibility fell on CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, who today missed 12 of 14 points and scored only 8 points, when his average for the season was 20.8. The lack of power has been noted throughout the first phase. New Orleans averaged 89 points per game in the series. It is a distant level for those who aspire to the title.
The Heat, on the verge of elimination
Miami is increasingly far from repeating last year’s feat. The NBA runner-up is on the brink of elimination after being defeated at home by the Celtics (102-88). Derrick White had an unforgettable night by scoring a personal record 38 points for Boston (16 in the first quarter). The team is 3-1 in the series and hopes to close this chapter, and at the same time an important revenge for the 2023 elimination, with a home game.
In addition to White’s performance, Jayson Tatum contributed to the victory with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He was followed by Jaylen Brown, who had 17 in his tally. The Celtics, however, suffered a considerable loss when Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis left the game with a right calf injury.
It seems difficult for the Heat to come back. Although he made a reputation last year by lopping off the heads of all the favorites except Denver, the eighth in the East faces a very different picture. Jimmy Butler remains injured in his knee and Terry Rozier also did not play due to neck tension.
The lack of their starters was noted again in the lack of power on offense. Last game they scored only 84 points and today they only scored 88 thanks to Tyler Herro (19) and Caleb Martin (18). As if that were not enough, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. had to leave the court in the second quarter after feeling discomfort in his leg.
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2024-04-30 06:12:05
#Oklahoma #sweeps #Orleans #Lakers #eliminated #Denver #Sports
