LOS ANGELES — Not even an all-time playoff efficiency from LeBron James may prolong the Los Angeles Lakers season.
James had 40 factors, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, together with a playoff career-high for factors in a half (31), however that wasn’t sufficient towards the relentless ‒ and higher ‒ Denver Nuggets.
The highest-seeded Nuggets eradicated the seventh-seeded Lakers with a 113-111 victory in Sport 4 of the Western Convention finals Monday and made franchise historical past.
Denver will play the winner of Miami-Boston within the Finals beginning June 1.
It’s the first time the Nuggets have superior to the NBA Finals, and it was the primary sweep for the franchise. They reached the convention finals 5 earlier instances (2020, 2009, 1985, 1978) dropping to the Lakers 4 instances.
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This time, it was all Denver. An excessive amount of Nikola Jokic. An excessive amount of Jamal Murray. An excessive amount of of Denver’s beginning 5 that additionally contains Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon.
Jokic recorded his third triple-double of the collection with 30 factors, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and three blocks. It was his eighth triple-double of the 2023 playoffs, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s report of seven in the identical postseason.
He gave the Nuggets a 113-111 lead with 51.7 seconds left. The Lakers had two possibilities to tie or take the lead and James missed each makes an attempt, together with the sport’s remaining shot.
Murray, who had 37 factors in Sport 2 and Sport 3, scored 25 factors, Gordon had 22 factors, six rebounds and 5 assists, Porter contributed 15 factors and 10 rebounds and Pope had 13 factors.
Behind James 31 first-half factors, the Lakers owned a 73-58 halftime lead. Within the third quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 36-16. Jokic had 13 factors, 10 rebounds, three assists and one block within the quarter.
Down the stretch, the Nuggets executed higher than the Lakers, simply as they did all through the collection.
The video games have been shut between the Lakers and Nuggets within the West finals.
The collection was not.
Comply with NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt
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