The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 20-point lead in Monday’s Game 2 matchup against the Denver Nuggets, missing out on a key opportunity to even up the series. And perhaps unsurprisingly, Lakers legend Magic Johnson was none too happy with how his former team played down the stretch.
Los Angeles let the Nuggets hang around down the stretch of the game, which set up a game-winning shot from Jamal Murray as time expired.
"Murray, makes a move…GOOOOOOOOD. THE NUGGETS HAVE WON."
Kevin Harlan on the call for Jamal Murray's buzzer-beater. Nuggets come back from being down 20 to take a 2-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/QOMxBC8pd9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 23, 2024
It was a devastating result considering how well the Lakers had played for a large majority of the game. And now, it is crucial that the Lakers come away with a victory in their Game 3 matchup on Thursday night.
Magic Johnson chimed in on social media Tuesday about the game, saying that he was “so devastated that he couldn’t tweet” immediately after the loss.
“Last night I was so devastated I couldn’t even tweet,” wrote Johnson. “An unbelievable shot by Jamal Murray, and an outstanding comeback by the Nuggets.”
He didn’t stop there, posting another tweet saying how the Lakers “can only blame themselves” for how they lost after blowing such a big lead.
“The Lakers have nobody to blame but themselves. They did everything they were supposed to do but win the game! AD and LeBron both did their part, they got scoring help from Russell, and they still lost.”
Magic is absolutely right. Nearly everything went right for the Lakers on Monday night, as they got great games from Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and D’Angelo Russell. But it still wasn’t enough after a very disappointing fourth quarter of the game for Lakers fans.
Now, the team will head back to Los Angeles to play games 3 and 4 of the series. And it’s hard to argue that the team as a whole could be a bit dejected after such a devastating loss on Monday night.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.