The Los Angeles Lakers enter Thursday night's Game 3 against the Denver Nuggets in desperate need of a win. The Lakers, who blew a 20-point lead in Monday's Game 2, find themselves down 0-2 in the first-round playoff series and without answers of how to notch a win against the reigning champion Nuggets. Denver has won 10 games in a row against L.A., including six consecutive victories in the postseason.
Jamal Murray was the hero for the Nuggets in Game 2, hitting a buzzer-beating game-winner over Anthony Davis to give Denver a 101-99 win in a game the Lakers led nearly the entire night. It was a demoralizing loss for the Lakers, who will host Games 3 and 4 in L.A., needing at least one win to keep their season alive.
"It's all about sustainability," LeBron James told reporters after Game 2. "It doesn't matter what you can do throughout the first 47.5 minutes. You got to close the game, which we didn't do. We got to do a better job of that. But some of the things that we've done over the first couple games, we're very excited and happy about those. But we got to do a better job of closing it."
Here's what to know about Thursday night's Game 3:
Lakers vs. Nuggets -- Game 3 info
Time: 10 p.m. ET | Date: Thursday, April 25
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
Odds: Lakers -1, O/U: 217
Storylines
Nuggets: It's been a good start to the playoffs for the champs as they fought back for a Game 2 victory and kept home-court advantage in this first-round series. Nikola Jokic is nearly averaging a triple-double in the series with 29.5 points, 16 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game so far. Murray has only shot 37.5% from the floor, but he hit the biggest shot of the series. Michael Porter Jr. has added 41 points in the two games, while the Nuggets have limited the Lakers to 101 points per game.
Lakers: The Lakers' stars have shined in the series. LeBron has been sharp, with 26.5 points and 10 assists per game. Davis has been the highest scorer of the series with 64 points so far. And D'Angelo Russell had a solid Game 2 after struggling in Game 1. Still it hasn't equaled a victory, and the Lakers will need more production from players like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura if they want to turn this into a competitive series.
Prediction
The Nuggets just keep finding ways to beat the Lakers, especially in close games. It seems like if the Lakers are going to take a game against the Nuggets, they need to take it and make it a runaway before fourth-quarter Jokic can get his team back in the game. Don't expect that to happen in Game 3 as Denver makes it 11 in a row and pushes L.A. to the brink of elimination: Pick: Nuggets +1
