DENVER — On to the next one.
The Denver Nuggets advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs Monday night, closing out their opening-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers with a 108-106 win in Game 5 at Ball Arena.
Denver, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, will next face No. 3 Minnesota in the conference semifinals after the Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns in their opening-round series.
"Credit to (the Lakers). They're not an easy out," head coach Michael Malone said. "That was a hard-fought series. A lot harder than the final score would indicate. We had to scrap for every game that we won in this series."
Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was questionable to play Monday after a left calf injury in the previous game had Malone in question about the status of his star. Malone didn’t make the decision to play Murray until just before tip-off.
Murray proved to be fine as he lit up the court with a game-high 32 points, which included hitting the game winner, his second of the series.
"Those are shots that you dream of as a little kid, practicing in the backyard, at the playground," he said."
Michael Porter Jr. also had a hot shooting night, hitting 5 of 7 3-pointers for 26 points.
Murray and Porter Jr. were the catalysts that fueled a 10-2 run to close out the first quarter and a 14-2 run late in the third, during which Denver took its late lead. Although it was just a 3-point deficit, the Nuggets trailed the Lakers at halftime – something they did in all five games this series.
Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was one assist shy of recording yet another triple-double, scoring 25 points, grabbing 20 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists.
Jokic, who is passionate about horse racing, was asked about the parallels between basketball and the sport he's passionate about: "It's not about how you start. It's how you finish."
The Nuggets vs. Timberwolves series is scheduled to begin Saturday, May 4 at a time yet to be announced. The first two games will be played at Ball Arena in Denver (Saturday/Monday) before shifting to the Target Center in Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4.
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