BYE, BYE, LAKERS! There is no escape for LeBron James against the champion Denver (VIDEO) – Sports

Denver moved within a win of a Western Conference semifinal berth after taking a 3-0 lead over the Lakers. The third meeting in Los Angeles ended 112:105 for the Nuggets, with Anthony Gordon leading the way for the winners with 29 points and 15 rebounds.

One of the big European stars in the “Alien League” – Nikola Jokic, contributed with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists.

Defending champion Denver also got solid support from Jamal Murray, who added 22 points and beat LeBron James and his Lakers for the 11th time in a row.

Denver took control of the game late in the third quarter and were simply unstoppable in the final minutes of the fourth, posting their fifth straight win over the Lakers on the road, dating back to last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Game 4 is Saturday in Los Angeles, and no team has returned to the standings after going 0-3 in the series.

Anthony Davis scored 33 points for the Lakers (plus 15 rebounds), only two others on their team had double-digit assets at the end of the meeting: LeBron James with 26 and Austin Reaves with 22.

Paolo Bankero scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Jaylen Suggs added 24 points for Orlando’s 121-83 win over Cleveland.

Orlando cut its first-round NBA Eastern Conference series deficit to 1-2, but also handed Cleveland its worst playoff loss in history.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and 8 assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points at one point in the fourth period to earn the third-biggest playoff victory.

Joel Embiid scored as many as 50 points for Philadelphia’s first victory over the New York Knicks with 125:114.

Even after the second meeting, which the 76ers lost, he boldly declared that “his team will win this series.” In one of his best games of the playoffs, Embiid became just the third player to score 50 points on the Knicks in the playoffs.

Tyrese Maxey finished with 25 points and 7 assists for the winners, and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 15.

For the Knicks, guard Jalen Brunson had 39, center Josh Hart added 20, and Augie Anunoby had 17.

NBA Championship (National Basketball Association of North America), Playoffs, First Round:

Eastern Conference

Orlando – Cleveland 121:83
Cleveland leads the series 2-1 (game to 4 wins in 7 games)

Philadelphia – New York 125:114
New York leads the series 2-1

Western Conference

Los Angeles Lakers – Denver 105:112
Denver leads the series 3-0