Western Conference Recaps, May 22: Nikola Jokic’s Record-Breaking Triple-Double Leads The Denver Nuggets To The NBA Finals

For the first time in NBA history, the Denver Nuggets have reached the NBA Finals.

Led by another tremendous performance from Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets took a 113-111 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers to complete the four-game sweep. Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists, winning the NBA Western Conference Finals MVP. His triple-double was the eighth of the playoffs, passing Wilt Chamberlain’s single playoff record set in 1967.

The Lakers went into halftime with a 73-58 lead but the Nuggets weren’t discouraged. They outscored the Lakers 36-16 in the third quarter, led by Jokic’s 13 points.

“I think we understood what was at stake,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You don’t want to give a team like that (any chance). That’s LeBron James over there. The way we came out in the third quarter showed me that we have a maturity about us and an understanding of how we need to play at this stage.”

Jamal Murray ended his three-game streak of scoring 30-plus points. He finished with 25 points while Michael Porter recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds.

LeBron James did all he could to avoid a sweep. He recorded 40 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 31 of those points in the first half. It was the most he scored in any playoff half of his career. However, he missed two crucial shots at the end which would’ve tied the game up. The first one was a buzzer-beating fadeaway and the last a drive to the paint.

Anthony Davis had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Austin Reaves scored 17 points.

The Denver Nuggets play the winner of the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics series in the NBA Finals.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.