Lakers season comes to end against Nuggets in instant classic Game 5

In a remarkable back-and-forth game, the Nuggets outlasted the Lakers down the stretch to win the series and end the season for the purple and gold.

The Lakers and Nuggets delivered a memorable performance in Game 5, but Denver closed out the series with a Jamal Murray game-winner in the final seconds to win 108-106.

The two sides traded blows in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets got the last swing as Murray’s pull-up jumper with 3.6 seconds left served as the separation between the two

The Lakers’ superstar duo were once again the leaders who did everything. LeBron James really carried the load with 30 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists, and four steals. Anthony Davis continued his dominance early and battled through injury late, scoring 17 points with 15 rebounds and four assists.

Rui Hachimura had his best game of the series, scoring 15 points with five rebounds and an assist. Austin Reaves knocked down some big shots in the fourth quarter to finish with 19 points. D’Angelo Russell chipped in 14.

Jamal Murray’s calf didn’t seem to bother him as he started the scoring for the Nuggets. Rui Hachimura, who has struggled throughout this series, began the scoring for LA, knocking down a 3-pointer. The Lakers took the lead by five on an 8-0 run.

The Nuggets made lazy passes and missed wide-open shots, contributing to the purple and gold’s early lead. Neither team was shooting well, which slowed the game's pace and energy.

The game was tied once the Nuggets picked up their offense and the Lakers missed easy layups. Murray hit a 3-pointer for the Nuggets, but Austin answered back with a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one.

The Lakers did a great job disrupting the momentum the Nuggets kept trying to create. After LA grabbed a six-point lead, the Nuggets knocked down a pair of threes to tie the game. They would eventually go on a 10-0 run to take a four-point lead at the end of the first.

D’Angelo Russell started the scoring for LA in the second quarter with a driving layup. Jaxson Hayes, who hadn’t seen much playing time, was in the game and cut the deficit to one with a free throw. But of course, one of the bane of the Lakers’ existence in this series, Michael Porter Jr., knocked down a three in response.

The Nuggets’ offense was clicking and they went up five, but D’Lo cut that to two with a three of his own. Contrary to the last few matchups, the Lakers weren’t the ones who had control of the game with a huge lead. Both teams were playing at the same level as one another.

After several missed shots, LeBron stopped the bleeding and knocked down a layup with a free throw for LA to grab a one-point lead. AD was the first Laker in double digits at 10 points.

The Lakers went up seven after multiple connections between LeBron and AD as they had taken over the quarter offensively. Nikola Jokic’s first half was messy as he contributed four of the Nugget’s nine turnovers.

The Nuggets seemed to be gaining steam, but LA still had the lead, fighting through all the attempted momentum shifts. As we’ve seen continuously, the Lakers led at halftime.

Rui made a three to start the scoring for the purple and gold in the second half. After some stoppage in time because of a shoulder bump from MPJ on AD, who stayed in the game, LeBron dunked the ball to keep LA’s momentum high.

AD was visibly struggling with his shoulder and couldn’t move it. After giving it a go, he went straight to the locker room to get worked on. The Lakers' struggles started as soon as the injury happened and they would need to find any sort of offense and defense to replace his production.

The Nuggets attempted to gain some steam, but as they’ve kept doing, LA had answers. A three by D’Lo had the Lakers up by eight, forcing the Nuggets to take a timeout. Every Laker starter was in double digits, contributing to their constant lead, despite the Nuggets' efforts to take control.

The lead was down to four after a three by Jokic and a layup by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Rui was beginning to shine more than he had in this series scoring 13 points. The tide suddenly shifted as MPJ knocked down a three and was fouled.

The Nuggets took the lead by three with three minutes left in the quarter. Although the Nuggets had taken all the momentum, the Lakers were still very much in the game, only trailing by two at the end of the third.

A welcomed sight for the Lakers was AD starting the fourth. They were playing from behind and had to mount the best fourth quarter possible to get this win. A Murray three extended the Nuggets lead to six. Luckily for LA, they were still within reach even with the misses they had.

The Lakers again stopped the Nuggets’ momentum with a 3-pointer by LeBron and a dunk by Rui to tie the game. Rui had improved his play throughout this game, earning big-time minutes in the fourth.

An 8-0 Lakers run had them up by two, but Jokic tied the game up with a layup. This game quickly became a dogfight as both teams battled back and forth, exchanging the lead. With four minutes left, the Lakers’ defense was lacking and the Nuggets took the lead by two.

It was a classic playoff game with the Nuggets fighting to finish this series and LA fighting to stay alive another day. Murray had a ferocious dunk on LeBron that had their fans going crazy, but LA kept their composure and didn’t let that take the momentum.

The last minute was intense, with both teams once again exchanging the lead. Murray's three had the Nuggets up by two with 38 seconds left. LeBron was fouled with 26 seconds left and made both free throws. Murray sealed the deal with a midrange shot that put the final dagger in the hearts of LA.

Key Takeaways:

The Lakers showed great fight and composure throughout the game. They kept answering back each time the Nuggets took the momentum, but it was not meant to be in the end. A season full of ups and downs comes to an end in heartbreak.

Kudos to our starting five for showing up. They never stopped and threw punches right back to the Nuggets. All you can do is tip your hat off and respect the fight.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.