Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray was not having a great shooting night in Game 2 of their Western Conference Playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.
It did not matter.
Having shot 8-of-23 from the field leading down the stretch, Denver put the ball in Murray’s hands with just over 12 seconds remaining and the game tied at 99.
That’s when Murray went full clutch. The dude hit a falling down fadeaway shot over Lakers big man Anthony Davis as time expired in the final stanza. It was absolutely brilliant.
That is simply sensational. Talk about not letting early-game struggles get in your head. Murray ended up dropping 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to give Denver a 101-99 win and a 2-0 series lead.
Jamal Murray stats (Game 2): 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 9-of-24 shooting
Murray’s late-game buzzer beater ended up overshadowing Nikola Jokic putting up a 20-rebound triple-double. It also helped the Nuggets overcome 58 combined points from Davis and LeBron James.
It now has the defending champion Nuggets up 2-0 in this first-round NBA Playoff series. They have also now won 10 consecutive games against Los Angeles.