Jamal Murray: Nuggets ‘Feel Like We Should Be Up 2-1’ over Lakers

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 114-106 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and now trail L.A. two games to one in the best-of-seven series.

After the game, Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray told reporters that his team feels like it should be up 2-1 instead of down 2-1 in reference to Denver’s buzzer-beating Game 2 defeat.

“We feel like we should be up 2-1 right now to be honest, but now we are onto Game 4,” Murray said.

Denver trailed by 16 in the third quarter and by eight with three minutes left in Game 2 before storming back to take a 101-100 lead off a Nikola Jokic tip-in with 31 seconds left.

After Anthony Davis responded with a 13-foot floater, Jokic put Denver back on top with a 10-footer with 20 seconds remaining.

The third time was the charm for the Lakers on the other end.

Alex Caruso missed a three-pointer with seven seconds left, but Danny Green got the rebound. Murray then blocked Green’s game-winning attempt, but the ball went out of bounds to the Lakers.

L.A. then executed an inbound play to perfection, leading to a Davis three-pointer for the win.

Game 1 went to the Lakers, 126-114, but the game was not as close as the score indicated, with L.A. leading by as many as 27 in the fourth.

Denver largely controlled Game 3 outside a rough stretch in the fourth where L.A. outscored the Nuggets 21-4, although the eventual victors responded with a 10-1 run to put the game away.

Game 4 is Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, and Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday at the same time. TNT is televising the entire Western Conference Finals.