Jamal Murray Hits 2nd Game Winner, Nuggets Sink Lakers

DENVER -- Jamal Murray overcame a strained left calf, management's suggestion he sit this one out and another haymaker from the Los Angeles Lakers to score 32 points and sink the game winner with 3.6 seconds left Monday night.

That sent LeBron James to his earliest playoff exit and the Denver Nuggets tottering into Round 2 with a 108-106 win in a Game 5 that featured 16 lead changes and 10 ties and was secured only when Taurean Prince's half-court heave fell short as time expired.

"Shoutout to the Lakers, they gave us a great series," said Murray, who also hit the franchise's first playoff buzzer-beater in Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series.

"Those are shots that you dream of as a little kid," said Murray, who called this one just "a little better."

The Nuggets point guard is the first player in the past 25 seasons with multiple go-ahead shots in the final 5 seconds of a single playoff series, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He's the fourth player to do it multiple times across a single postseason.

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James' two free throws tied it at 106 with 26 seconds left, and the Nuggets, just as they did in Game 2, eschewed the timeout. Murray took the ball on a high screen-and-roll to his left, shaking Austin Reaves as he crossed through the lane and swishing the 14-footer.

The Nuggets advanced to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round starting next weekend. That series begins in Denver, where the Nuggets are a conference-best 36-8, including 3-0 in the playoffs.

Jamal Murray Hits 2nd Game Winner, Nuggets Sink Lakers

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