The Denver Nuggets handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first home loss in the 2023 NBA Playoffs on Saturday night.
The Nuggets won, 119-108, behind a strong fourth-quarter effort in which they outscored the Lakers 35-26 down the stretch. The win gave the Nuggets a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.
The win put the Nuggets on the brink of proving that they are deeper and more talented than the Lakers. Their performance even won over Magic Johnson, a certified Lakers legend, who was forced to apologize to the Nuggets for originally picking the Lakers to make the NBA Finals.
“I have to apologize to the Denver Nuggets, they proved that they are a better and more talented team in their victory over the Lakers tonight,” Johnson said in a tweet. “They put both teams in the Eastern Conference on notice that they are committed to winning a championship!”
Johnson singled out guard Jamal Murray and center Nikola Jokić for praise after the win.
“When you have two superstars like Jokic and Murray play at a high level at the same time like they are unstoppable,” Johnson said in a follow-up tweet. “If they continue that in the NBA Finals, the Nuggets will be world champions!”
Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals tips off Monday night at 8:30 p.m. at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
