Trending
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With one championship ring and a tenacious veteran core, the Denver Nuggets are a daunting matchup for any opponent in the NBA.
They're clearly a particular nightmare for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, who are one game away from an early summer after Denver stretched its winning streak in this lopsided rivalry to a whopping 11 games.
Aaron Gordon had a playoff career-high 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and the Nuggets moved to the brink of the second round with a 112-105 victory over the Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series Thursday night.
Jamal Murray scored 22 points to help the defending NBA champion Nuggets win their seventh straight playoff meeting with James and the Lakers in dominating style. Denver has rallied from a double-digit deficit in all three games, and the Nuggets went out of their way after Game 3 to praise an opponent they've utterly dominated recently.
"I think every game is tougher and tougher," Jokic said. "They were up 20 in Denver, they were up 12 today in the first half, but I think it's really hard to play against the same team over and over again. … That's a really tough team, and every game is really interesting and tough to win. Every game we're playing catch-up, and they're really talented. It's really hard to close a team out."
Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season's Western Conference finals.
"It's fun to win games," Porter said. "I don't think anybody besides the media looks at the 11 (straight victories), because it's hard. It's not easy to beat this team. Last game, coming back from 20 points, we had to scratch and claw. So it's not easy. But of course we like winning, and the more times we can win the better."
Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.
DENVER LOOKS TO CLOSE OUT SERIES AGAINST LOS ANGELES IN GAME 4
Denver Nuggets (57-25, second in the Western Conference) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (47-35, eighth in the Western Conference)
Los Angeles; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Nuggets -2.5; over/under is 215.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Nuggets lead series 3-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Denver Nuggets look to clinch the series over the Los Angeles Lakers in game four of the Western Conference first round. The Nuggets beat the Lakers 112-105 in the last meeting. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 29 points, and Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 33 points.
The Lakers are 27-25 in Western Conference games. Los Angeles is 20-25 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Nuggets are 33-19 in conference matchups. Denver ranks second in the Western Conference scoring 53.4 points per game in the paint led by Nikola Jokic averaging 16.8.
The 118.0 points per game the Lakers score are 8.4 more points than the Nuggets give up (109.6). The Nuggets average 11.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.6 fewer made shots on average than the 14.3 per game the Lakers give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 blocks for the Lakers. LeBron James is averaging 24.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.8 steals over the past 10 games.
Jokic is averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and nine assists for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lakers: 5-5, averaging 116.0 points, 41.1 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.4 points per game.
Nuggets: 8-2, averaging 115.2 points, 46.9 rebounds, 29.7 assists, 7.1 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.8 points.
INJURIES: Lakers: Cam Reddish: out (ankle), Christian Wood: out (knee), Jarred Vanderbilt: out (foot), Jalen Hood-Schifino: out (back).
Nuggets: Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).