LeBron James FINALLY breaks horrendous streak, not enough to save face

James hits three clutch threes in Game 3 but Lakers fall to Nuggets 0-3

LeBron James FINALLY breaks horrendous streak, not enough to save face

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James (#23) (Via Getty Images)

LeBron James did everything he could to keep the Los Angeles Lakers alive in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. He scored 23 points, dished out 12 assists, and hit three clutch threes in the second half. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Nuggets’ balanced attack and hot shooting, as the Lakers lost 119-108 and fell into a 0-3 series deficit.

James, who has faced criticism for his lack of clutchness throughout his career, finally showed some fire in the final minutes of the game. According to Stathead, since the 2003-04 NBA season, James has attempted 107 field goals during the last five seconds of a regular season game and has made just 19 shots. That translates to James having just a 17.8% FG and 12.5% from the 3-point line during his clutch time.

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However, in Game 3, James knocked down three crucial threes in the third and fourth quarters to keep the Lakers within striking distance. The first one came with 2:40 left in the third when he cut the Nuggets’ lead to four with a deep shot over Nikola Jokic. The second one came with 1:12 left in the same period when he made it a one-point game with a simple handoff from Dennis Schroder on the corner.

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The third and final one came with 5:37 left in the game when he drilled another contested shot over Jokic, but the Lakers were still down by seven at that point. James’ clutch shooting was impressive, especially considering his career averages in such situations.

Also Read: Lakers trade rumors: Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura TO STAY at franchise in every scenario

Nuggets spoil LeBron James’ clutch performance with team effort

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (Via Getty Images)
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (Via Getty Images)

Unfortunately for James and the Lakers, his clutch performance was not enough to overcome the Nuggets’ team effort. Denver had six players score in double figures, led by Jamal Murray’s 37 points and six assists. Murray was unstoppable in the first quarter when he scored 15 points on perfect shooting and clearly hunted for a matchup with D’Angelo Russell every chance he got.

The Nuggets also got big contributions from former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17 points), Michael Porter Jr. (14 points), Bruce Brown (15 points), and Jokic (24 points, six rebounds, and eight assists). Denver shot 50 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc, making 17 threes compared to the Lakers’ nine.

The Nuggets also weathered the storm without their star Jokic, who picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter and had to sit for most of the period. The Lakers had a chance to take advantage with Jokic heading to the bench, but they could not capitalize as Denver maintained its lead.

The Lakers now face the daunting task of trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome a 0-3 deficit in a playoff series. Teams with a 3-0 lead are 149-0 in playoff series in NBA history. Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.

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