Jamal Murray stuns Lakers, completes 20-point second-half Nuggets comeback to win Game 2 at the buzzer

Jamal Murray shot a miserable 9-of-24 from the field in Game 1 of the Denver Nuggets‘ first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. He struggled just as mightily early in Game 2, and it showed on the scoreboard. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 20 points in the second half. They had no answer whatsoever for the LeBron James-Anthony Davis pick-and-roll. A loss would have sent the series to Los Angeles tied at 1. The Lakers were in position to steal home-court advantage.

And then the Nuggets completed one of the craziest playoff comebacks you will ever see. The Lakers, looking exhausted playing at altitude, could not get a stop. Murray and Nikola Jokic roasted the Lakers in pick-and-roll over and over and over again. Murray tied the score at 97 apiece with two free throws and only 57.1 seconds remaining. 

He tied the score again at 99 all with a mid-range jumper. And then, finally, after the Nuggets rebounded a missed 3-pointer from James, Murray took the ball with a chance to win. With Davis guarding him, he drove to the rim, veered towards the corner, went up, faded away, and swish.

The win gives the Nuggets a 2-0 lead in the series over the Lakers, but it also extends their winning streak against Los Angeles to 10 games in a row. The Nuggets starters, who entered this game 37-0 as a unit when they played a Western Conference team at home, kept that streak alive as well.

But most importantly, they stuck a dagger in the hearts of their opponents. In 2020, the Nuggets played the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and nearly pulled off a similar comeback. A 3-pointer at the buzzer by Davis gave the Lakers a stunning win, a 2-0 series lead, and eventually helped vault them to the Finals. Now, Murray has returned the favor, and if the Nuggets have their way, it will lead to the same ending.