NBA highlights on April 25: Lakers come up short again against Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 112-105 in Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, extending their lead to 3-0 in the series.

So far, there have been a total of 151 teams trailing 3-0 in NBA playoff series since the league introduced the best-of-seven format to the postseason. None of them has ever come back from such a deficit. Four have managed to force the series to go to Game 7, but they all lost in the end.

History was not the only reason for the Lakers to feel desperate. They led longer than the Nuggets in each of the three games, often by double-digits. However, the Nuggets always found a way to reverse the situation. Nikola Jokic dominated Game 1; Jamal Murray beat the buzzer in Game 2; and in Game 3 on Thursday, Aaron Gordon tore the opponents apart in the paint.

Coach Darvin Ham changed the Lakers' defensive policy on Jokic in Thursday's game. Anthony Davis was sent to guard "the Joker." LeBron James often left Gordon open to either join Davis to double-team Jokic, provide help defense or attack the Nuggets' ball movement. Such defensive aggression enabled the purple and gold to constantly launch fast breaks. Offensively, James, Davis and Austin Reaves all stopped at nothing to charge the paint or, more specifically, to attack Jokic.

As a result, the Lakers began Thursday's game with an 8-0 run and led by 10 points (33-23) in the first quarter. Jokic was called for two personal fouls in this period, as was Michael Porter Jr. Davis made all four of his shots under the hoop and all four of his free throws to get 12 points and five rebounds. James went 4-for-4 from the field to contribute eight points and three assists.

Despite the foul trouble Jokic faced, coach Michael Malone chose to let him continue to play on the court until the final minute of the first quarter. Jokic protected himself well and avoided more fouls. He had nine points, four rebounds and two assists. Meanwhile, he exploited James' defensive intention of leaving Gordon open, keeping feeding Gordon for open dunks. Gordon made four of his five shots, all next to the rim, to get eight points and three rebounds.

The Lakers' offensive strategy on Thursday night was to attack the paint, and they abandoned a big part of 3-point shooting for that purpose. Nonetheless, such a choice fit in exactly with the Nuggets' wishes because their bench unit lacked the ability to make plays during half-court offense but had good size and athleticism to protect the paint and go for counterattack in transition.

Moreover, Jamal Murray dominated Gabe Vincent in a series of one-on-one possessions, getting 10 points in the second period. When both sides had their starters back on the court, the Lakers' lead shrank. More importantly, the Nuggets found their way to crack the opponents' defense open. Since Jokic and Murray distracted most of the Laker's defensive attention, Gordon and Porter Jr. faced a weaker defense. Gordon kept forcing his way to the rim and always earned something in buckets, free throws or offensive rebounds. Porter Jr., as a 2.08-meter-tall forward who leaped to shoot, saw nearly no deflection when he pulled up to fire.

Gordon finished Thursday's game with a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass that matched Jokic and Davis for game high. Porter Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds. He made five straight field goals (FGs) in the fourth quarter. That offensive wave crushed the Lakers.

On the Lakers' side, Davis was their best-performing player with 33 points and 15 rebounds after playing over 42 minutes. James contributed 26 points and nine assists, and he shouldered more defensive duties, most of which were in containing Jokic. Reaves was the third and final Laker who scored double-digit points with 22. He also had four steals.

The purple and gold dropped as many as 70 points in the paint on Thursday night. However, they shot as poorly as 5-for-27 from downtown, giving the Nuggets every reason to close in on the defensive end. Meanwhile, the Lakers failed to protect their own paint, where they allowed 60 points by the opponents in addition to 14 offensive rebounds.

Game 4 of the series will still happen at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.

Other games on Thursday (away teams come first):

Cleveland Cavaliers 83-121 Orlando Magic

The Magic defended their home court at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, by walking over the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs, turning the series 2-1 instead of 3-0.

Paolo Banchero shot 13-for-26 in FGs, including making 12 of his 19 jumpers, to get a court-high 34 points for the Magic. He also grabbed 14 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. All of his numbers were claimed in the first three quarters, during which his side led 96-61, creating a lead big enough for the fourth period to become garbage time.

The Cavaliers had no one reach 20 points. Their ace, Donovan Mitchell, missed 10 of his 16 shots to score just 13 points. The whole team went 39 percent from the field and trailed 51-32 in rebounds.

Game 4 of the series will take place at Amway Center again on Saturday.

New York Knicks 114-125 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers avoided falling into the abyss of trailing 3-0 in the East's first-round playoffs after defeating the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. Joel Embiid shot 13-for-19 from the field and 19-for-21 at the free throw line to score a postseason career-high 50 points for the 76ers. He even knocked down all four of his triples in the third quarter.

Jalen Brunson did everything he could to get 39 points and 13 assists for the Knicks. He made only one of his six FG attempts in the fourth period but made seven free throws to add nine points. Nonetheless, the 13-point deficit (98-85) left from the third quarter was too big for his side to overcome when they counted on Brunson alone.

Game 4 of the series will continue to be played at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.