The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 112-105, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the first round series. The Lakers are in trouble. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit.
"We're never satisfied. We're always going to push the envelope and find ways for the individual and the collective to be as as effective and efficient as possible," said head coach Michael Malone.
Denver has now won 11 consecutive games against Los Angeles, regular season and postseason included. The last time that the Lakers defeated the Nuggets was in December of 2022.
"We have a very resilient group and a very high-IQ group," said Aaron Gordon. "So, when we need to make adjustments, we make them very quickly and we execute them very quickly."
Gordon paced Denver with 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 3 assists. Those 29 points represent a playoff career-high for Gordon, and he crammed home a career-high 6 dunks.
"I'm utility guy. Do a little bit of everything. Do a little bit of a lot. I just take what the game gives me and I do whatever I can to help my team win," said Gordon. "However it comes across during the game, it doesn't really matter to me. I just care about that end result."
Nikola Jokić was one assist shy of a triple-double with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists. He and Gordon become the first teammates in NBA history to put up at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 65 percent field goal percentage in the same postseason game.
"Joker is a basketball genius. He's a genius that just happens to play basketball. He makes the game very easy. When you think the game like that, the game unlocks. You can start seeing plays two-to-three steps ahead," Gordon said.
Michael Porter Jr. pitched in 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Yes, you're reading that right, all three of Denver's frontcourt players—Gordon, Jokić, and Porter Jr.—had double-doubles. 10 of Mike's points occurred in the fourth quarter on a litany of tough shots to put the game out of reach.
Jamal Murray also contributed 22 points and 9 assists. Four of the Nuggets five starters reached 20 points or more.
"It's kind of a telepathy we've got with this group. We've got a mind-meld going on with our starting five," Gordon said.
Denver could not make a shot in the first half and connected on just 13.3 percent of their three-pointers. Gordon would not let his team get too deep in the hole, however, and filled the box score with 14 points and 9 rebounds. He was relentless on the offensive glass and filled the dunker spots admirably to give Jokić an outlet, and the Nuggets finished the first half down just 53-49.
Denver started to pull away in the third quarter. Gordon put up 10 points off some amazing passes from Porter Jr. and Murray, and the Nuggets outscored the Lakers, 34-22, in the period. They entered the fourth quarter with an 8-point lead, and then it was Porter Jr. who caught fire. MPJ scored 10 points in 6 minutes on a series of tough midrange jumpers to push Denver's lead to 15 points, and the good guys got the job done.