LOS ANGELES — Entering the night down 0-2 in the series, this was a game the Lakers had to have, and everything set up for them through three quarters — Nikola Jokić struggled and was in foul trouble, and Los Angeles survived a Jamal Murray onslaught in the first half.
It didn’t matter. Denver executes better and did it down the stretch. They have shooters everywhere and they trust each other and the system.
And when they need it, they have the two-time MVP Jokić who had 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the fourth. Denver pulled away in the final 12 minutes to win Game 3 119-108 and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
With one more win, the Nuggets will advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals (they did make the ABA Finals in 1976). The first half was the Jamal Murray show.