Denver always knew
Thunder move on, LeBron smirks, Celtics take hold, Pig Miller
Nuggets wins series, 4-1
No timeouts in Denver is wild, this is the only locale in the NBA noted for its actual home-court advantage, the thin air. Air so deficient it inspired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to drag a danged oxygen tank behind the Laker bench. No play, no points, is worth that extra blow. No play, no points, is worth the chance to stop time.
Or the right to move the ball to half-court, let a Hall of Famer try a game-winning shot.
The Lakers struck one for continuity on Monday, calling for a coach’s challenge with three minutes remaining, winning and knocking two potential free throw points off the scoreboard but losing a timeout for the final three minutes of Los Angeles’ season. The Lakers worked wonderfully in the fourth quarter — Austin Reeves panning for pull-ups, LeBron James finding gold in that, there, lane — but could not close a contest. Or close out on Jamal Murray hitting his second game-winning shot in a five-shot series.