NUGGETS OUST LAKERS, LEBRON IN THRILLER

MIAMI: Jamal Murray nailed a last-gasp jump shot as the defending champion Denver Nuggets sent LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers crashing out of the NBA playoffs with a series-clinching 108-106 victory on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Murray's sublime go-ahead bucket with four seconds remaining settled another pulsating battle between the Western Conference rivals and wrapped up a 4-1 series win for Denver, who now face Minnesota in the next round.

Murray finished with 32 points while teammate Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists as the Lakers' bid to overturn a 3-0 series deficit came up short in front of 19,861 fans at Denver's Ball Arena.

NBA icon James meanwhile finished with 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Lakers scoring in what was the final act of his 21st season in the NBA.

Afterwards, James declined to be drawn on his future plans, saying he would now spend time with his family before preparing for this summer's Olympics.

Asked if Monday's defeat may have been his last game for the Lakers, James smiled and replied: "I'm not going to answer that."

Lakers defensive stalwart Anthony Davis, who appeared troubled by a shoulder injury for much of the game, had 17 points with 15 rebounds and four assists.

"They're a hell of a team," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said of Denver after the defeat.

"They're defending champs for a reason, I've been saying it the entire year, and the entire series, they know how to gut out wins, they've been there before."

Nuggets coach Michael Malone meanwhile lavished praise on game-winner Murray, who had also nailed a buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the series.

Elsewhere, the Oklahoma City Thunder sealed a 4-0 series sweep of the New Orleans Pelicans to book their place in the NBA playoffs second round.

2024-05-01T03:40:17Z dg43tfdfdgfd