Nuggets notebook: Denver Nuggets GM Calvin Booth praised for offseason -- and in-season -- handiwork

May 20—LOS ANGELES — Continuity in the front office continues to come in the clutch for the Denver Nuggets.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone first met Calvin Booth when he was an assistant for the Cavaliers and Booth was wrapping up his playing career. They've been reunited in Denver since 2017, and Malone has seen Booth rise from assistant general manager to general manager.

"For him to be in the organization the last four or five years and to move up when Arturas (Karnisovas) left to go to Chicago and then to move up once again when Tim (Connelly) left to go to Minnesota, that was really important for me," Malone said prior to Game 3. "I said that to Josh (Kroenke) when Tim had left. I really felt that Calvin was more than ready to take over and lead this franchise."

Booth made a series of moves that have paid off in his first season leading the Nuggets' front office, trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, signing Bruce Brown and drafting Christian Braun.

"Calvin has been very, very important to what we are doing on the floor every night," Malone said.

Those moves helped Booth finish in a tie for third in the executive of the year voting.

The big boss, Stan Kroenke, was on hand for Game 3 in Los Angeles, where he also owns the NFL's Rams.

Which Murray will it be?

When Jamal Murray goes big, the next outing can be a guessing game.

In the first round, a 40-pointer was followed by 7-for-16 shooting and 18 points. Second round, a 34-point show was followed by 3-for-15 and 10 points. Chalk it up to his illness or a quick trigger finger, but Denver was hoping for a second straight "Murray Flurry" Saturday.

"I think the defense is going to tell you what to do," Michael Malone said.

Murray backed up his ferocious series start. He erupted for 17 points in the first quarter of Game 3. That followed his 68 points over two games in Denver. The Arrow is pointing up.

No cheap ticket in L.A.

Hey, no wonder Ball Arena sometimes gets overcrowded with Lakers fans.

They can't afford to attend games in L.A.

If you're free Monday, the get-in price for Game 4 is $249, according to Ticketmaster. That's way up by the Lakers' 17 championship banners. Want to sit down by Quavo and Jennifer Hudson? Well, that will to cost you. Try $21,500 for a courtside seat next to the Lakers' bench.

Stars come out

The star power wasn't just on the court at Crypto.com Arena.

Long-time Lakers fan Jack Nicholson headlined celeb row, which also featured actor Denzel Washington, comedian Eddie Murphy, actor Jake Gyllenhall and rapper Quavo of Migos.

Nuggets owners Stan and Josh Kroenke also took in Game 3 in Los Angeles. The Kroenkes were on the court during pregame warmups. The father-son duo was also in Phoenix for Game 6 of the second-round series against the Suns.

Let it rain

LeBron James just needed to see one go down.

After starting 0-13 from 3-point range this series, the Lakers star got his first one to drop with 44 seconds left in the third quarter. He then hit his second triple 20 seconds later. Despite the struggles through the first two games, Lakers coach Darvin Ham liked the looks James got for the most part.

"It looked like the all-time leading scorer in NBA history taking a shot that was being given to him. The numbers say what they say, but I know he's capable of making those shots. So I don't want him to be any less aggressive," Ham said pregame.

"The biggest thing we talked about was just really living in the paint. But at the end of the day, Bron has the freedom. I want my guys to play free."