Nuggets sweep Lakers, earn first Finals berth in franchise history
Aaron Gordon didn’t have the most points, rebounds or assists, but he might have made the most plays that turned Monday night historic for the Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets are headed to their first ever NBA Finals after completing the franchise’s first playoff sweep, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers, 113-111, in crypto.com Arena.
Fittingly, it was Gordon blocking LeBron James’ shot at the buzzer that sealed the win. Gordon had a pair of blocked shots to go with 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. It wasn’t the what-he-did, though, as much as when. And maybe from where. He came into the game 0-for-6 from 3-point range but nailed 3-of-5 from deep, the most efficient 3-point shooter for the Nuggets on the night. With the score tied at 83, he tipped a rebound away from Anthony Davis, charged up the floor and fed Michael Porter Jr. for a transition 3 with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
The Lakers managed to tie the score several times down the stretch, but the Nuggets never trailed again. Gordon’s dunk while being fouled at 3:34 of the fourth quarter gave Denver a two-possession lead, 107-102.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham pulled out the stops. He replaced D’Angelo Russell with Dennis Schroder in the starting lineup and even gave big man Tristan Thompson his first minutes in the series. It appeared at the start as if it might be enough to force the series back to Denver for a fifth game.
James led the way with 31 first-half points, including 21 in the first quarter, but the Lakers as a whole had their best offensive half of the series, scoring 72 points by shooting 56% overall, including 7-of-11 3-pointers and 16-of-17 free throws.
"He came out with a mindset to keep this thing going," Ham said.
That was good enough for a 15-point halftime lead. The problem: It didn’t feel sustainable. Not for a team that came into the game shooting 34% in the series from long range and not for a 38-year-old James, who played all but four seconds. He was on such a roll in the first half that a lob intended for Rui Hachimura wound up in the basket for his first 3-pointer. But he was 0-for-3 from long range in the second half and missed five of his last six shots, held to three fourth-quarter points.
"He had an amazing game," said Nikola Jokic, selected the series MVP. "We couldn’t stop him in the first half. We found a way to make him take a little tougher shots after that."
It wasn’t that the Nuggets’ two stars, Jokic and Jamal Murray, weren't good but, by their standards in this series, not great. Jokic had his all-time leading ninth triple-double (30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists) and barged his way to the rim through Davis and Schroder for the game-winning basket with 51.7 seconds left, but shot less than 50% and struggled defensively.
Gordon, with James as his primary assignment, took his lumps in the first half — literally at one point, James shoving his forearm into Gordon’s throat after a brief tussle, resulting in both getting a technical foul — but eventually saw his effort pay off.
No more so than on the very last play, that sent the Lakers home — and the Nuggets to their first Finals.
Stat to know: The Nuggets committed six first-half turnovers, one more than in the entirety of Game 3, but had only two more in the second half. The Lakers were the better shooting team, but the Nuggets swatted the shots that mattered, finishing with nine blocked shots.
Play of the game: With 2:50 left, the shot clock about to expire and the Nuggets clinging to a 107-104 lead, Jokic hit a stepback 3 off of one foot, the ball barely clearing Davis’ outstretched fingertips. It was such an unusual shot that it was initially ruled a two-pointer.
Quote of the game: Jokic, discussing the team’s comeback from the 15-point halftime deficit, said, "We don’t give up. I’ve been saying this the last five years, when we were bad or good. I think it’s a collective effort. It’s not just one guy."
What’s next for the Lakers: Figuring out which of their slew of free agents they want to retain and can retain, probably starting with break-out star Austin Reaves.
What’s next for the Nuggets: Await to see if the Miami Heat can match them and sweep the Boston Celtics.
Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young onset Parkinson’s, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.