The Los Angeles Lakers looked like a team possessed in the first half of Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell were locked in. Davis, in particular, had a fantastic half and was the key reason that the Lakers took a 15-point lead into the break.

James, as he’s done so many times before, did a little bit of everything with 26 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, two steals and two blocks. His overall effort on defense was high, and during crunch time, he delivered again and again to keep the Lakers alive.

However, there are just some days when your best effort just isn’t enough. Today was that kind of day for the Lakers, who saw a 20-point lead disappear. The death knell for the Lakers was a missed wide-open three by James, which gave the Nuggets possession with 14 seconds left on the clock.

The Nuggets, who started to show life in the third quarter as then went on a 10-0 run, kept slowly chipping away at the Lakers’ lead until they were suddenly trading baskets in a tight final five minutes of the game. Then, with the score tied and the clock expiring, Jamal Murray struck. Murray, who struggled from the field and shot 9 of 24 overall, found ways to score when the Nuggets really needed him, and he was the only who hit the game-winner over Anthony Davis.

Of course, Murray’s game-winner couldn’t have happened with Nikola Jokic, who had an incredible 27 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists and two steals while shooting 56% overall, 50% from three and 100% from the free throw line. He also outplayed Davis down the stretch.

The defending champs will be filled with confidence heading into Game 3 and their momentum could carry. They’ve now won 10-straight games against the Lakers and seem to just have their number. The Nuggets once again showed their championship DNA by overcoming adversity and look good to dominate the series with Murray and Jokic leading them.