Nuggets One Win Away From Historic First Trip to NBA Finals After Game 3 Romp

• The Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3
• Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic combined for 61 points
• The Nuggets pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination

The Denver Nuggets moved a win away from a first trip to the NBA Finals after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic starred for the Nuggets, who recorded a stunning 119-108 win.

They now hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Murray explodes in first half

Jamal Murray picked up right where he left off in Game 2, scoring 30 of his 37 points in the first half of Game 3, per ESPN.

He carried the scoring cudgels for the Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic finding himself in foul trouble.

Murray's hot start helped Denver grab a 58-55 lead after the first half.

Jimmy Butler makes winning return as Heat ease past Knicks in Game 3

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The Nuggets maintained that advantage after three quarters as they entered the fourth with a slim 84-82 lead.

The Lakers sent their fans into a frenzy when they finally grabbed the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Rui Hachimura gave the Lakers a 94-93 lead with 7:48 to go in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets responded emphatically to steal a win on the road.

Denver's late run downs Lakers

Denver unleashed a 13-0 run in the next three minutes to build a 106-94 lead.

Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, and Murray got the run started, each hitting a 3-pointer to stun the Lakers crowd.

Brown then made a difficult tip shot before Jokic punctuated the run with a finger roll layup.

Jokic delivered when the Nuggets needed him most, scoring 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

The Serbian’s triple-double streak might have ended, but he still contributed huge numbers in the Game 3 win. He finished with eight assists and six rebounds against the Lakers.

Lakers rout Warriors in Game 3 to take 2-1 series lead

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Lakers are in trouble

It was a disappointing loss for the Lakers, who tasted defeat at home for the first time in this year’s playoffs.

The Lakers will need to make history if they are to advance to the NBA Finals, as no team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit in the playoffs.

Teams who trailed 0-3 are 0-149 in those series.

Butler leads Heat past Celtics

Sports Brief recently reported on the Heat’s win over the Celtics in Game 2.

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points to lead Miami to a 111-105 win over Boston.

Butler caught fire after he had a heated exchange with Grant Williams in the fourth quarter.