Denver Nuggets won the 3rd meeting of the 1st playoff round in the Western Conference against the Lakers, with the score after the final buzzer in Crypto.com Arena being 105:112. Nikola Jokic finished the game one assist shy of a triple-doble, scoring 24 points, and grabbing 15 rebounds. Aaron Gordon was the top scorer for the Nuggets with 29 points and 15 rebounds and four of their starting line-up concluded the meeting with 20 or more points. For the Lakers, Anthony Davis dropped 33 points and caught 15 boards while LeBron James added 26 and dished out 9 dimes, but Darwin Ham’s role players failed to deliver and the Lakers are one loss away from elimination.
▪️ ORL wins, CLE leads 2-1
▪️ PHI wins, NYK leads 2-1
▪️ DEN takes a 3-0 series lead#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel continue Friday on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/k86uL3MayH— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2024
On East, Joel Embiid had a playoff-high 50 points against the New York Knicks, helping Philadelphia 76ers to cut their deficit in the 1st round series to 2-1. Jalen Brunson replied with 39 points and 13 assists but they were not enough for another Knicks’ victory. In the other NBA game on Thursday, Orlando Magic recorded a huge 121:83 win against Cleveland. Paolo Banchero led his side to the victory with 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Magic are now 2:1 down in the series.