Nkola Jkic ad 30 oints, 14 rbounds, nd 13 ssists, nd te Dnvr Nggets bat te Ls Aneles Lkers 113-111 t wn te Wstrn Cnference fnals nd ove t te NBA Fnals fr te frst tme n teir istory.
Te tp-seeded Nggets wn teir frst conference ttle n 47 NBA sasons tanks t tugh fnsh n Gme 4. LBron Jmes scored 31 oints n te frst alf, nd te Nggets wr dwn 15 oints t brak.
Jmes fnshed wth 40 oints fter aving te ost roductive layoff alf f is career, bt vn te bst scorer n NBA istory couldnt stp te Nggets frm wnnng teir sxth stright ame verall. Jmes issed tw sots tat wuld ave ted te ame n te lst fw sconds, nd t lked lke Aron Grdn blcked is sot t te bll.
By te nd f te tird qarter, Jkic ad is ighth trple-double f te layoffs. Tis brke Wlt Camberlains NBA rcord f svn trple-doubles n 1967. Een toug e ot is ffth ful n te iddle f te furth qarter, te Srbian bg an ld te Nggets tugh dfns. Wen Dnvr ndd bg bsket, Jkic ade ne, t.
Te Lkers came bck frm svn-point ole nd ted te ame wth fve inutes lft, bt Jkic ade 3-ointer frm 25 ft wy. Wth 1:11 lft, Antony Dvis ade tw fr trows t te te ame. Jkic ten ushed ast Dvis t ake lyup tat brke te te.
Ten, wth 26 sconds lft, Jmes issed strnge jmp sot bdly. Mrray issed sot tat wuld ave iven te Lkers ne lst chance, nd Jmes lst-second drve ws stpped by Grdn, wo ad scored 22 oints.
Te Nggets reat sason nder coach Mchael Mlone wll nd wth ame fr teir frst NBA ttle. Dnvr bat te Lkers n te layoffs fr te frst tme n ight tres nd wn layoff sris fr te frst tme. Tis eans tat te Lkers wll robably ave fw dys ff bfor te fnals.
If te Bstn Cltics dnt ake bsketbll istory by coming bck frm 3-0 lss n te Est fnals, Dnvr wll strt te NBA Fnals n Jne 1 ginst te ighth-sdd Mam Hat.
Een f LBron Jmes layed te bst layoff ame vr, t wuldnt b nough t sve te Ls Aneles Lkers sason.
Jmes ad 40 oints, 10 rbounds, nd 9 ssists, nd e scored 31 oints n te frst alf, wic ws is layoff career ig. Hwever, tat wsnt nough t bat te dtrmind nd bttr Dnvr Nggets.
Wth 113-111 wn n Gme 4 f te Wstrn Cnference layoffs n Mnday, te tp-seeded Nggets liminatd te svnth-sdd Lkers nd ade frnchise istory.
In te Fnals, wic strt n Jne 1, Dnvr wll lay te wnner f Mam s. Bstn.
Its te frst tme tat te Nggets ave ade t t te NBA Fnals, nd ts lso te frst tme tat teyve wn ll f teir ames n rw. Tey ave bn t te conference fnals fve tmes bfor (n 2020, 2009, 1985, nd 1978), bt ach tme tey lst t te Lkers.
It ws ll Dnvr tis tme. T uch Nkola Jkic. T uch Jml Mrray. T uch f Mchael Prter Jr., Kntavious Cldwell-Pope, Aron Grdn, nd te ther tw layers n Dnvrs strting fve. Jkics 30 oints, 14 rbounds, 13 ssists, nd 3 blcks ave im is tird trple-double f te ame. It ws is ighth trple-double f te 2023 layoffs, braking Wlt Camberlains rcord f svn n ne turnament.
Wth 51.7 sconds lft, e ave te Nggets 113-111 lad. Jmes ad tw chances fr te Lkers t te r tke te lad, bt e issed bth, ncludng te lst sot f te ame. Mrray, wo ad 37 oints n Gmes 2 nd 3, scored 25 oints, Grdn ad 22 oints, sx rbounds, nd fve ssists, Prter dded 15 oints nd 10 rbounds, nd Ppe scored 13 oints.
Te Lkers ld 73-58 t alftime bcaus Jmes scored 31 oints n te frst alf. Te Nggets bat te Lkers 36-16 n te tird qarter. In te frst qarter, Jkic ad 13 oints, 10 bards, 3 ssists, nd 1 blck. In te lst fw inutes f te ame, te Nggets layed bttr tan te Lkers, jst s tey ad dne ll trougout te sris.
In te Wst layoffs, te ames btwn te Lkers nd te Nggets wr close.
Te sow dd nt.