Denver Nuggets end Lakers season for second straight year
The Denver Nuggets ended the Los Angeles Lakers playoff run for the second straight year after a clutch shot from star Jamal Murray.
The mid-range jumper put the Nuggets above the Lakers, 108-106, and punching the Mile-High team's ticket to their second-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last summer on their way to winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beat the Lakers for the 12th time in their last 13 games.
The only other time LeBron James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs came in 2021 when the Phoenix Suns beat L.A. in six games.
This was the shortest of James' 17 trips to the playoffs. He's now 183-104 overall with a 41-13 series record and four titles.
Murray led the game with 32 points while James was right behind him with 30 points.
The Lakers led 53-50 at halftime and pushed that advantage to nine points but the Nuggets closed on a 21-10 run to take an 81-79 lead into the fourth quarter that was tight until the buzzer.
After Murray's clutch shot, Taurean Prince heaved up a half-courter that fell short, sending the Lakers to an early exit despite taking the defending champs to the brink in all five games.