DENVER Nuggets pushed Los Angeles Lakers to brink of elimination with a 112-105 win in Game 3 of NBA Western Conference first round series on Thursday night (Friday in the Philippines) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
Aaron Gordon tallied a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds to lead the way for the Nuggets while Nikola Jokić flirted with a triple-double with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists.
Jamal Murray tallied 22 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, and Michael Porter Jr. ended with 20 points as the Nuggets cruised to a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
After being down by 10 points early in the game, the Nuggets slowly clawed its way back to cut the deficit to 49-53 at the half before taking control of the game in the third quarter at 83-75 on connections from Porter and Murray.
Denver went on to establish the biggest lead at 104-89 on a three-point play by Jokić. LAL made its last push to cut the deficit to as low as five points, but free throws by Gordon sealed the win for the Nuggets.
Anthony Davis tallied a double-double of 33 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Lakers, LeBron James added 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds, and Austin Reaves contributed 22 markers.
Joel Embiid displayed his dominance inside as Philadelphia 76ers scored a Game 3 victory over New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The reigning NBA MVP finished with 50 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists, and a block as the 76ers cut their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first round series deficit to 1-2.
Tyrese Maxey added 25 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cameron Payne contributed 15 and 11 markers, respectively, for the 76ers.
Jalen Brunson tallied a double-double of 39 points and 13 assists to lead the Knicks, Josh Hart added 20 markers, while OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Orlando Magic bounced back with a 121-83 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers in Game, cutting the series deficit to 1-2. Paolo Banchero top-scored with 31 points to go with 14 rebounds and five assists./PN
BOX SCORE:
DENVER 112 — Gordon 29, Jokić 24, Murray 22, Porter 20, Caldwell-Pope 5, Braun 5, Jackson 5, Watson 2, Holiday 0.
LOS ANGELES 105 — Davis 33, James 26, Reaves 22, Dinwiddie 8, Prince 7, Hachimura 5, Vincent 4, Russell 0.
Quarterscores: 23-33, 49-53, 83-75, 112-105.
