The Denver Nuggets are on a mission right now, and their dismantling of the Los Angeles Lakers is the best example. (Sorry, Jack Nicholson.)
With the Lakers effectively fighting to make the Western Conference Finals a reasonable series Saturday night, the Nuggets buried a dagger into their heart. Denver’s 119-108 win not only gave it a 3-0 series lead, it put the Rocky Mountain franchise on the doorstep of its first-ever NBA Finals.
But it’s not hard to forget that the Nuggets are running through LeBron James — one of the greatest basketball players ever — and the Lakers — one of the NBA’s best teams historically — en route to their title goal.
Well, for Jamal Murray, it apparently is, as some of his postgame comments demonstrate. The Nuggets, while happy to put the Lakers on the brink, have much bigger fish to fry than a mere Western Conference title.
Just listen to this ice-cold quote from Murray to ESPN’s Lisa Salters:
"Five more to go." – @BeMore27 pic.twitter.com/9DFZTdFaI0
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 21, 2023
Phew. There’s zero hesitation from Murray, too. The Nuggets don’t just want the West. They’re in it for the Larry O’Brien Trophy next month, and they’re certainly playing like it.
Truly, the Lakers are only “in their way.”
Jamal Murray:
“We’ve got five more to go.” pic.twitter.com/UHqeX8qjAB
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) May 21, 2023
I would not want to play these Nuggets and Murray in a playoff series right now, that’s for sure.
The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
