Denver reached the NBA Finals for the first time after sweeping LeBron James’ Lakers

Thanks to an excellent return In the second half and another great production of its main figure, the Serbian Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 113-111 as guests, closing the decisive key of the Western Conference with a strong 4-0 and had access to the NBA Finals for the first time in its history.

Jokic finished the game with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, and not only stood out once again for having scored triple double figures (eighth in the playoffs and record for a postseason, unseating none other than the legendary Wilt Chamberlain with his seven of 1967), but because, moreover, he scored the double that gave him the victory to the Nuggets.

The European, called Playoff MVP and winner of the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy, he was well accommodatedbecause Jamal Murray finished with 25 points and Aaron Gordon with 22, while Michael Porter Jr. signed a double-double (15 points and 10 rebounds).

The Lakers, who largely dominated the first half with LeBron James as the banner and scored 31 points, suffered in the complementary part of their star’s low scoring (he just added 9 points) and little and late support from the rest of the team. Even so, they managed to reach the final seconds of the game with a chance, at least, to tie the game, but “King James” missed the last shotweighted down with a definite mark from Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray.

THE lakers they went to rest at the end of the first half with a difference of 15 points (73-58) which drastically shortens during the third, until it fades just over four and a half minutes from the epilogue of the fourth when Caldwell-Pope gives Denver the lead on an assist from Jokic, who reaches another triple double number in the series.

A 36-16 run in the penultimate quarter and LeBron’s slump from converting 30 points in the first half to scoring just 6 in that run allowed the Nuggets to start the final stretch of the game 94-89. in his favour .

James’ fourth-quarter crop didn’t improve much, though the Lakers managed to hang on after tweaking some loose pegs on defense and thanks to the appearance of LeBron’s complementary pieces in Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves.

He the game went into its last minute tied at 111. It was Jokic who broke the score with a power drive from Anthony Davis and also Dennis Schroder, before lobbing the ball to the rim with just 51.7 seconds left.

Then, the aforementioned: LeBron took over as leader of the Lakers and got the last ball of the game four seconds before the siren. However, his run to the board was well guarded by Gordon and Murray, and James fell short of becoming the hero of the night for the California team.

Those led by Michael Malone will go in search of the first NBA champion ring in its history from Thursday, June 1. They are waiting for the winner of the Eastern Finals, a series currently led by the Miami Heat 3-0 against the Boston Celtics.

If Miami folds, the Nuggets will have home-field advantage in the Finals, which it won’t be if the Celtics pull off the historic feat of overturning that partial result.