The tale of a playoff series is frequently told by the supporting cast, even though the main players always steal the show.

The thrilling Nuggets victory over the Lakers in Game 2 on Monday serves as an excellent illustration. Even though Jamal Murray’s game-winning basket was one of the most important moments in Denver basketball history, he was having one of his worst playoff performances ever at the time, shooting only 9 of 24 from the field.

Murray’s shot will live on in history, but the Nuggets may have prevailed due to strong performances from Christian Braun, who scored ten enormous points off the bench and was once again Denver’s second-best player behind Nikola Jokic with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting, and Michael Porter Jr.

Conversely, the Lakers might have lost the game if they had relied less on starters Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura and almost nothing on the bench during the last 12 minutes, even though Anthony Davis struggled to score 32 points in the first three quarters.

LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Davis will continue to be the centerpiece of the Los Angeles offense, but players like Reaves and Hachimura—who are just 3-for-11 from the field for 10 points in the series—will have to carry the weight if the team is to have any chance of winning the series.

Reaves, who scored nine points on four of his eleven attempts from the field on Monday, remarked, “I got to be better scoring the ball, being aggressive.” “In the first quarter, I had a few good looks that didn’t fall.”