It was a good fight. But, in the end, the Los Angeles Lakers could not survive another day. Jamal Murray hit the game-winning shot with four seconds left, and the Nuggets advanced to the next round with a 108-106 win.
Heartbreaking as it was, Los Angeles had plenty of chances to make sure a Game Six would take place on Thursday. But, their abysmal free-throw shooting plus struggles from the three-point line led to their demise.
As the theme was all series long, the Lakers went into halftime with a lead over the defending champions. But, the Nuggets outscored them 31-26 in the third quarter, which was the difference in this game.
Questionable to play with a calf strain, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray came out and made his presence known. In 41 minutes, he dropped 32 points on 13-28 shooting. Nikola Jokic also showed out, almost finishing with a triple-double (25 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists).
Also, props to Michael Porter Jr, who was a thorn in the Lakers’ side all series long. Resting for a total of just two minutes, he had 26 points in game five and made five of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.
As for the Lakers, LeBron James did all he could to carry the team. He finished with 30 points and 11 assists and was a rebound away from a triple-double of his own.
Despite hurting his shoulder during the game, Anthony Davis still managed to finish with a double-double (17 points, 15 rebounds. Austin Reaves had 19 points, D’Angelo Russell had 14, and even Rui Hachimura had 15 points of his own.
In the end, missed opportunities for easy points led to the end of the Lakers’ season. Add in the heroics of Jamal Murray for the second time in the series, and the flight home is going to be quiet for the Lakers.
Now What?
Surprisingly, the Lakers had their exit interviews after the game instead of going home to do so the next day. Reports are saying that Darvin Ham‘s position as head coach is very unsure at the moment. If he is fired in the coming days, many of us won’t be surprised.
Lakers finish to season has left coach Darvin Ham’s future in serious peril, as some stakeholders indicate he is highly unlikely to return, sources say.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 30, 2024
What went wrong for L.A. and inside LeBron James’ future at @TheAthletic with @sam_amick, @jovanbuha: https://t.co/soHAI7QRpk
As for the roster itself, a future article will be released with a plan to fix it. But, for right now, the future looks not only bleak but very uncertain.
The Lakers fought hard to get into the playoffs after winning the play-in game versus the Pelicans. Unfortunately, their reward was running into the defending champions in the first round.
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