LOS ANGELES: Nikola Jokic led a second-half fightback as the Denver Nuggets completed a 4-0 Western Conference championship sweep over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic finished with 30 points after the Nuggets overturned a 15-point half-time deficit to send LeBron James and the Lakers crashing out of the postseason with a 113-111 victory at the Crypto.com Arena.
James had looked to be single-handedly keeping the Lakers’ season alive after scoring 31 points in a magnificent first-half display that left the 17-time NBA champions leading 73-58 at half-time.
But Jokic led a resurgent Nuggets offense in the third quarter, scoring 13 points as the Western Conference top seeds outscored the Lakers 36-16 to turn the contest on its head.
A dramatic fourth-quarter finale saw Jokic put Denver 113-111 ahead with a typically barnstorming driving layup through heavy traffic with 51.7sec remaining.
With four seconds remaining James had one last chance to tie it up and force overtime, but his attempted driving floater was blocked by Denver’s Aaron Gordon to leave the Nuggets celebrating a famous win.
Denver — one of 11 teams in the league who have never won the NBA championship — will face either the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics in the finals.
Miami, leading Boston 3-0, can clinch their place in the finals with a victory at home on Tuesday.
“We don’t give up,” Jokic told ESPN. “I’ve been saying this for five years — when we were bad or when we were good — we don’t give up. And that’s what happened today.
“They jumped on us the first half, they were better, more aggressive, scoring easily and didn’t miss basically.
“But in the second half we turned the page and everybody stepped up. It was a collective effort, it’s not just one guy.”
The Nuggets will head into the finals brimming with confidence that they can end their near-half-century wait for a maiden NBA crown after another composed all-round performance proved too much for the Lakers.
The 38-year-old James finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers in a heroic attempt to keep the series alive.
“He had an amazing game,” Jokic said of James. “We couldn’t stop him in the first half... he’s still one of the best to ever play this game.”
But the Lakers’ supporting cast once again failed to step up when it mattered, with a series of missed baskets in the fourth quarter allowing the Nuggets to hold on to their slender advantage to clinch victory.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said his team had paid the price for not making enough shots, praising Denver’s ruthlessness down the stretch.
“The sign of a great team is if you make any mistake, they’re going to make you pay for it,” Ham said. “And they did just that.”
Ham, who was appointed last year with a brief to rebuild the Lakers after a dismal failure to reach the playoffs, insisted that the NBA giants were on the right path.
“This is year one,” Ham said. “Losing sucks, but I think we can do something special here.”
Denver Nuggets oust Lakers to reach NBA Finals for first time
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Denver Nuggets oust Lakers to reach NBA Finals for first time
- Jokic finished with 30 points after the Nuggets overturned a 15-point half-time deficit
Tennis world number ones Sabalenka, Alcaraz begin Australian Open campaigns
- Carlos Alcaraz, who could complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the tournament, faces Adam Walton
- Aryna Sabalenka takes on Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah as she seeks a third title at Melbourne Park
MELBOURNE: The first round of the Australian Open begins in Melbourne on Sunday.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz, who could complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the tournament, faces Adam Walton, while Aryna Sabalenka takes on Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah as she seeks a third title at Melbourne Park.
Top men’s match: Alcaraz v Walton
At 22, Alcaraz could replace Don Budge as the youngest man to achieve the career Grand Slam with victory at the Australian Open. The Spaniard has left no one in any doubt what his main goal is for the 2026 season, saying in November he would rather win a first Melbourne Park crown than retain his French and US Open titles.
His quest to make history will begin with a first-round tie against Australian Walton.
The pair have crossed paths once before, with Alcaraz beating the Australian 6-4 7-6(4) during his title-winning run at the Queen’s Club Championships last year.
Top women’s match: Sabalenka v Rakotomanga Rajaonah
Sabalenka will be bidding to continue her incredible record in hard court Grand Slam tournaments when she begins her campaign against Frenchwoman Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
The Belarusian world number one has reached the final of the last six majors she has played on the surface, winning four of those.
She enters the competition in fine form after retaining her Brisbane International title this month without losing a set, and should have little trouble when she takes on the 118th-ranked Rakotomanga Rajaonah.
Venus Williams is back
Venus Williams, a two-times Australian Open singles finalist, returns to the tournament for the first time since 2021 after receiving a wildcard.
The 45-year-old faces Olga Danilovic in the first round, where she is set to become the oldest woman to feature in the Australian Open main draw by surpassing Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she bowed out in the first round in 2015.
Williams has endured a poor start to the season, losing to Magda Linette in the first round in Auckland and to Tatjana Maria in her opening match at the Hobart International.
Despite her defeats, she said she was happy with her level.
“I can’t expect perfection right now, but I know I’m playing good tennis. Winning and losing doesn’t know any age. Once you walk on court, you’re there to compete,” Williams said before her defeat in Hobart.
Australian Open order of play on Sunday
Here is the order of play on the main showcourts on the first day of the Australian Open (prefix number denotes seeding):
Rod Laver Arena
- Day session
Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Belarus) v 7-Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
3-Alexander Zverev (Germany) v Gabriel Diallo (Canada)
- Night session
1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah (France)
1-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) v Adam Walton (Australia)
Margaret Court Arena
- Day session
Maria Sakkari (Greece) v Leolia Jeanjean (France)
18-Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina) v Zhang Zhizhen (China)
- Night session
10-Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan) v Jenson Brooksby (US)
Mananchaya Sawangkaew (Thailand) v 28-Emma Raducanu (Britain)
John Cain Arena
- Day session
Arthur Fery (Britain) v 20-Flavio Cobolli (Italy)
- Day session
12-Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) v Cristina Bucsa (Spain)
- Night session
29-Frances Tiafoe (US) v Jason Kubler (Australia)
Olga Danilovic (Serbia) v Venus Williams (US)
