'In the biggest moment, he rises': Canada's Jamal Murray delivers again for Nuggets

Taped to the wall beside Jamal Murray's stall in the Denver Nuggets' locker-room is a picture of Bruce Lee with a quote from the martial arts legend.

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do," it reads.

The Canadian guard followed the credo to perfection Monday night at Ball Arena, fighting through a left calf strain to deliver a performance to remember.

Murray's 14-footer with 3.6 seconds left was the difference as Denver beat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 to complete a five-game win in the first-round NBA playoff series.

"Those are shots you dream of as a little kid," Murray said. "That you practise in the backyard and at the playground."

After the game, a satisfied Murray sat down at his stall and exhaled. He pulled off the black compression sock from his left leg and snipped off the white tape that was wrapped around his lower shin and ankle.

"I just wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I wasn't able to play in this game," he said.

Teammates still buzzing at the late-game dramatics came by for high-fives and fist bumps. The ball from Murray's game-winning shot in Game 2 — dubbed "The Shot at 5280," a Mile High City reference to the number of feet in a mile — was stationed behind him at his locker.

He could end up with quite a collection if he keeps this up.

"Big shot after big shot," said guard Christian Braun, seated at the adjacent stall. "He wants the big moment. We trust him with the big moment. We know he's going to take those shots and hit them.

"This is what he does. Playoff time is when he rises."

The sellout crowd roared when Murray was announced as a starter before the game and he set the early tone. He hit Denver's first jumper, first three-pointer and first free