Phil Steele’s Conference Forecast

The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 20-point third-quarter lead and watched helplessly as Jamal Murray drilled a 15-foot step-back jumper at the buzzer to lose a heartbreaking game to the Nuggets on Monday night. But after a devastating 101-99 loss that stuck the Lakers in a 2-0 playoff hole, NBA icon LeBron James didn’t lament his long-distance miss with 16 seconds left.

What. A. Comeback. The Nuggets, who entered the fourth quarter Monday trailing the Lakers by 10, mounted a strong late comeback to beat Los Angeles, 101-99, to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round series. The drive was capped off by Jamal Murray, who nailed a fade-away jumper over Anthony Davis at the buzzer. WHAT A BUCKET.

Quick hits from the Nuggets’ Game 2 victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night at Ball Arena in the Western Conference playoffs. 1. Little help, please!: The Nuggets suffered an In-N-Out first quarter for the second straight game. Nikola Jokic had a double-double all by himself — 10 points and 10 rebounds.

They were solved at last, the impossible puzzle that had somehow eluded the Lakers’ best mental and physical efforts for more than a year, for nine in a row of these increasingly familiar meetings. Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets knocks down the game-winning shot over Anthony Davis (3) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 101-99 win at Ball Arena in Denver on Monday, April 22, 2024.

With a 3-1 defeat to the Padres in the series opener on Monday at Coors Field, the Rockies joined some bad company. Colorado became the first team to trail in each of its first 23 games of the season since the Reds did so in 1931. Cincinnati finished in last place in the National League that year, and the Rockies appear destined for the same fate. And so it goes for the Rockies, who extended their franchise-worst start to 5-18 on a night where Padres right-hander Dylan Cease was nearly unhittable as the Colorado offense sputtered again. “At some point it’s got to turn where we’ve got to get the bat to the ball and get some big hits,” manager Bud Black said.

Gregg Parrott didn’t waste any time. With a gift card in hand, the 36-year-old walked through the double-doors of the Broncos’ team store at Empower Field at Mile High, spotted Pat Surtain II’s version of the new navy blue uniforms unveiled on Monday morning, and immediately went to the cash register. Soon after purchasing the jersey, Parrott put it on and walked around with pride.