The Lakers suffered their worst defeat to the Nuggets to date on Monday, falling short of a 20-point lead midway through the second half and trailing 2-0 in the series as Denver defeated them 101-99 on a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater.

After scoring 32 points with 11 rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block, Anthony Davis placed the Lakers on his back. After a persistent lack of production against the Nuggets, D’Angelo Russell showed up and scored 23 points while shooting 7-11 from outside the arc.

LeBron James disheveled 12 assists in addition to scoring 26 points. He pulled down eight rebounds as well.

D’Angelo Russell and Michael Porter Jr. traded 3-pointers to start the game. The Lakers easily jumped out to a 10-point lead as the Nuggets had trouble scoring, in part because of LeBron’s spectacular block on Jamal Murray.

Given how hot both teams were offensively, there was an electric vibe between them. Nikola Jokić made a three-pointer, cutting the Lakers’ lead to five. AD began to take over more of the offensive responsibilities while LeBron rested. Despite the Nuggets’ customary comeback, LA was able to maintain their lead, 28-24.

The Nuggets defeated the Lakers in a challenge to start the second quarter and narrowed their deficit to two points. D’Lo continued to cook from behind the arc, hitting another to increase their advantage to five points.

Although both teams’ play was poor, it was fast-paced and plenty of energy. After a few turnovers by LA, the game was decided at one point. D’Lo drilled three more holes to halt the bleeding. Fortunately, the purple and gold continued to hold a lead while the Nuggets appeared to get up more momentum.

AD was taking charge of LA’s offensive game, playing a variety of positions and making many of his typical midrange jumpers. With AD leading the way, the Lakers played some of their finest basketball to end the first half. The Lakers lead 59-44 at the half as D’Lo made yet another three-pointer late in the half.

AD opened the second half with a and-one. The Lakers increased their lead to 20 points after Austin Reaves made a 3-pointer, but the Nuggets responded with two quick baskets.

Even after the Nuggets made a couple shots, including three more from MPJ, the purple and gold team still had the upper hand. But no matter what the Nuggets threw at him, AD was unstoppable. He was in the zone, playing some of his finest postseason hockey of his life.

The Nuggets closed the gap to 11 points with an 11-0 outburst. Unfortunately, AD was forced to miss the last minutes of the third period due to his four fouls, which was a big factor in helping LA maintain the lead. Not unexpectedly, the Nuggets gained momentum.

Fortunately, D’Lo made another 3-pointer to halt the bleeding once more. By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers still had the advantage, 79-69.

At the beginning of the fourth, the Lakers’ lead was only a few points. They needed to launch a momentum shift, so tensions were high. Again coming off the bench to have an offensive effect, Taurean answered the call for LA by making another 3-pointer.

With the momentum moving in the Nuggets’ favor, it was down to a seven-point advantage for the purple and gold. Despite the fact that their other superstar, Jamal Murray, was not making his typical clutch baskets, Denver managed to cut the lead to five points.

Despite having his worst game as a Laker, Rui made a free throw to extend the advantage by one point. Naturally, though, the Nuggets cut the lead to two points, but LeBron responded with a three-point shot.

LeBron extended the lead to eight points with another stunning 3-pointer. The purple and gold still had five minutes to hold on and take the victory. Tired LeBron was leading the charge offensively with big shots.

The Lakers were holding onto a four-point advantage with less than three minutes remaining, which was cut to one point following a Joker and-one. LeBron gave up a game-tying 3-pointer to MPJ after stealing the ball for a slam on the subsequent possession to put the team ahead three points.

With a dramatic layup at 1:02, D’Lo helped LA reclaim the lead by two points. Jamal then tied the score once more by making two free throws.

LeBron made another clutch basket with a few seconds remaining to give his team a two-point lead. Jamal then completed an amazing night by tying the game with 30 seconds remaining and winning it with a buzzer-beater.

Important lessons learned: The Lakers never stop pressing the gas pedal. There’s a reason the Nuggets are champions. Even at 20 down, they can still score runs. You have to give them a difficult time. You have a 20-point advantage; you must extend it to 30.

It is awful to waste such a brilliant AD performance and for D’Lo to finally show up against this team. There isn’t much else to say about how depressing this loss was.

Game 3 of the Lakers’ upcoming series against the Denver Nuggets is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 PM PT.