Nuggets 3-Pointers: What does Jamal Murray have to do to get calls LeBron James gets?

1.So much for whistle momentum. When LeBron James complains, the refs listen. When the Nuggets complain, they shrug. Nikola Jokic was slapped with his fifth foul with 8:06 left in the contest, putting Denver on its back foot for the rest of the evening. The Nuggets went to the foul line seven more times than the Lakers in Game 3 (29-22) and converted 23 of them to Los Angeles’ 14, a nine-point swing that proved vital in an eight-point Denver win. Tuesday? King James went to the stripe just twice and let everybody know he wasn’t happy about it. Thursday? Fourteen trips.

2. Murray = MJ? We’re using the words “Jamal Murray” and “Michael Jordan” in the same sentence again, kids. In case the rest of the NBA, and the country, hasn’t figured out that Murray is a star, the Nuggets’ guard left zero doubt with 2:32 left in the first half. The Canadian curled into the paint, took a feed from Paul Millsap and went up into the lane for a layup in the face of LeBron James with his extended right hand. While in mid-air, the Blue Arrow faked with his left hand, then went under King James, MJ-style, with right hand again to pull the Nuggets to within six. Given all of Murray’s massive shots in the bubble, that one might’ve been the single sweetest.

3. Still hating Howard. Apparently, Lakers coach Frank Vogel sensed your spite for that post matchup with Dwight Howard, too. To try to continue to mess with the Joker and seeing the way the No. 1 seed struggled to rebound in Game 3, Los Angeles started Howard at center in place of JaVale McGee. The gambit paid off early, as the chiseled veteran big man posted 12 points and 11 boards through the game’s first three quarters. Los Angeles notched 25 second-chance points for the night.

Sean Keeler | Sports Columnist

Sean Keeler is an award-winning writer who joined The Denver Post in 2018 after stints with Cox Media Group (2016-18), FOX Sports and FOX Sports Midwest (2012-2015), The Des Moines Register (2002-2011) and The Cincinnati Post (1998-2001).