Lakers eliminated from playoffs after loss to Denver Nuggets in Game 5

DENVER — The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs Monday in a tight 108-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Similar to his Game 2 heroics, Jamal Murray clinched the win with a jumper in the closing seconds.

“This one was a little better,” Murray said in a TNT interview afterward. “It’s a dream come true. All these fans on your side – to get it done in this fashion. I don’t know what to say. I’m just happy for us.”

The Lakers lost the first three games of the first-round playoff series but then took Game 4 at home – letting them avoid a repeat of last year’s Western Conference Finals when the Nuggets swept them 4-0 on their way to their first-ever NBA title.

They were then trying to become the first team ever to bounce back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series to advance.

Denver now advances to play the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are coming off their first series win in 20 years. They completed the franchise’s first-ever sweep with a 122-116 win at Phoenix on Sunday.

DEVELOPING: This story will be updated.