Another clutch game, another frustrating Denver Nuggets loss in a new and creative manner.
With five seconds to go and the Nuggets leading by three, Denver intentionally fouled Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers to prevent a three-point attempt. He made the first free throw, then perfectly bounced the ball off the rim back to himself to generate an open layup at the buzzer.
An inexplicable way to allow three points when trying to deny three points as staunchly as the Nuggets did.
AUSTIN REAVES GRABS THE BOARD OFF HIS OWN MISSED FREE THROW AND TIES THE GAME 😲
WE ARE GOING TO OT! pic.twitter.com/aPZAJkEpxM
— NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2026
Denver ultimately went on to lose 127-125 in overtime as Luka Doncic hit a buzzer-beating fallaway jumper over Spencer Jones, a play reminiscent of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doing the same over Jones this past Monday.
LUKA DONCIC FOR THE LEAD WITH 0.5 SECONDS LEFT
LUKA MAGIC DELIVERS IN THE CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/2Zv9TT3X6Y
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) March 15, 2026
The Nuggets allowed this game to go to overtime after doing an excellent job in regulation of recovering from an early deficit. The Lakers led by as many as 17 points after a poor second quarter bench stint. Denver worked it back to a manageable deficit by halftime and tied up the game by the end of the third quarter. The Nuggets even retained that momentum to take a 7-point lead deep into the fourth quarter and looked to be in control by the end.
Even after Luka Doncic scored six straight points to tie up the game, Tim Hardaway Jr. made a clutch three off a Nikola Jokic assist to give Denver a two-point lead with 30 seconds to go. Jokic then got a strip steal (block) of Austin Reaves on a drive to the rim, and the Nuggets looked to ice the game at the free throw line with Aaron Gordon. Unfortunately Gordon made just one free throw, and then the stuff above happened.
Jamal Murray fouled out in the first 30 seconds of overtime after one of the worst performances in his career. Murray dealt with foul trouble all night, but the Nuggets clutch offense truly suffered without him to generate some on-ball pressure on the Lakers defense. They simply loaded up on Jokic for the entire quarter and forced other guys to beat them.
Nobody could until an improbable stepback three-pointer from Aaron Gordon with 47 seconds to go in OT. Then, Marcus Smart hit a three on the next possession to put the Lakers back up two. Jokic tied the game the next trip down the floor, but Doncic had the last shot and iced the game with 0.5 seconds to go.
This was another example of the Nuggets finding a way to lose in the clutch after several years of clutch play often going in their favor. Denver made a living, especially against the Lakers, by pulling a rabbit out a hat and out-executing the other team when the game got close. That hasn’t happened this year, and in one of the most important games of the year, the Nuggets came up short in the clutch again, this time for a completely inexplicable reason.
Nikola Jokic did his best with 24 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists, 5 steals, and a block. His overall efficiency was good, though he shot just 1-of-4 in overtime as Deandre Ayton played stout defense for the first time this season.
Murray’s poor game stands out front and center here. After fouling out, Murray finished the night with just 5 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds, shooting 1-of-14 from the field. He dealt with that foul trouble all night, but that’s separate from so few made shots. The last time Murray shot below 10% from the field was five seasons ago in March of 2021 when he also shot 1-of-14. Sometimes, you have a bad shooting night, but this was one of the worst of Murray’s career.
Denver had this game in their hands and allowed it to slip away, and it matters greatly in the standings. The Nuggets are now two losses back of the Lakers in the standings for the 3 seed, and they also lost the tiebreaker in the process. On top of the Lakers being the leader of the Pacific Division, there is now no scenario in which the Nuggets can tie with the Lakers in the standings and jump ahead of them. So, the Nuggets outperform LA significantly down the stretch if they want to be the 3 seed.
As it stands, the Nuggets have fallen to the 6 seed and are back to just one loss ahead of the Phoenix Suns for the 7 seed. They are closer to the Play-In than they are homecourt advantage in the first round. The schedule does get significantly easier from here, but that implies that the Nuggets will take care of business if they get into an close games.
Denver just finds a way to let go of the rope at the worst possible time. This is their 11th loss by three points or fewer, by far the most in the NBA.
The Nuggets have 11 losses by 3 points or fewer this season.
That’s by far the most in the NBA.
Philly, Houston, LAC, and Utah each have 8 losses by 3 points or fewer.
— Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) March 15, 2026
If the Nuggets are going to win a championship, they simply have to be better and more precise in games that come down to the wire. They don’t have a good enough defense to separate away from teams consistently in regulation. The glaring miscues have to be a thing for the regular season only, and Jamal Murray cannot be a non-factor in this matchup.
Denver, despite winning the two previous games in emotionally positive ways, continues to take their momentum out from under them at the worst possible time.