Murray scores 32 and hits game-winner in Nuggets' 108-106 series-clinching victory over Lakers

DENVER (AP) — Jamal Murray overcame a strained left calf, management's suggestion he sit this one out and another haymaker from the Los Angeles Lakers to score 32 points and sink the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left Monday night.

That sent LeBron James to his earliest playoff exit ever and the Denver Nuggets tottering into Round 2 with a 108-106 win in Game 5 that featured 16 lead changes and 10 ties and was only secured when Taurean Prince's halfcourt heave fell short as time expired.

“Shout-out to the Lakers, they gave us a great series,” said Murray, who also hit the franchise's first playoff buzzer-beater in Game 2.

“Those are shots that you dream of as a little kid,” said Murray, who called this one just “a little better.”

If not for his dogged determination — and defiance — Murray never would have had the chance to seal the series.

“I came in a little earlier today to see if I was going to be able to go, and I felt like I could and they just didn't want me to risk it,” recounted Murray, who warmed up with an ice pack strapped to his injured calf. "They told me no. They told me no.

"And I didn't say no. I didn't want to leave my teammates out there,” added Murray, who missed 23 games due to injury in 2023-24. “We've been battling all season. Everybody's hurt at some point, everybody's going through something and I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't able to play this game.

”I'm just glad they listened to me — and listened to me listening to my body — and just trusting me with it."

James' two free throws tied it at 106 with 26 seconds left and the Nuggets, just as they did in Game 2, eschewed the timeout and Murray took the ball on a high screen-and-roll to his left, shaking Austin Reaves as he crossed through the lane and swished the 14-footer.

“That kid’s a warrior, man," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. "The bigger the moment, the kid just continues to shine.”

Nikola Jokic, who committed an uncharacteristic seven turnovers, narrowly missed his 19th career playoff triple-double with 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists and Michael Porter Jr. scored 26.

James had 30 points and 11 assists and Anthony Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds but appeared bothered down the stretch after banging his left shoulder into Porter in the second half.

The Nuggets advanced to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round starting next weekend. That series starts in Denver, where the Nuggets are a Western Conference-best 36-8, including 3-0 in the playoffs.

Not that it has been easy.

The Nuggets trailed for about three-fourths of the minutes in this series, they scuffled through extended shooting slumps and they're a banged-up bunch that can definitely use the rest.

“First of all, tip your hat to them,” James said. “Defending champions. They’re great team. Super-well coached and made the plays down the stretch to win the series. You give credit where credit is due, that’s for sure.”

Davis matched Murray’s 16 first-half points and the Lakers led 53-50 at halftime. They pushed that advantage to nine points but the Nuggets closed on a 21-10 run to take an 81-79 lead into the fourth quarter that was tight until the buzzer.

The Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in the Western Conference finals last summer on their way to winning the franchise's first NBA championship, beat the Lakers for the 12th time in their last 13 games.

The only other time James was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs came in 2021 when the Phoenix Suns beat L.A. in six games.

So, this was the shortest of James' 17 trips to the playoffs despite the Lakers taking the reigning champs to the brink in all five games.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our crew despite everything that happened,” said Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who's sure to be on the hot seat. “Obviously, the series didn’t go in our favor, didn’t start the way we wanted it to, but to win that one at home, fight tooth and nail today to get this one, our guys showed a lot of guts and a lot of character."

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dunks during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles, Thursday, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Denver Nuggets assistant coach Popeye Jones, left, hugs guard Jamal Murray after Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. Murray scored 32 points despite a strained calf and sank the game-winner with 3.6 seconds left to win over the Lakers. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks the scoreboard in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, fields a pass as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, tries to make a steal in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) reacts after hitting the game-winning basket as forward Michael Porter Jr. looks on in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray looks back at the Los Angeles Lakers bench after hitting a 3-point basket late in the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, left, drives to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis, right, defends in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, right, drives to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie, left, defends in the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

PARIS (AP) — The landmark trial of three former Syrian intelligence officials began Tuesday at a Paris court for the alleged torture and killing of a French-Syrian father and son who were arrested over a decade ago, during the height of Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests.

International warrants have been issued for the defendants, being tried in absentia.

The father Mazen Dabbagh and his son, Patrick, were arrested in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in 2013, following a crackdown on demonstrations that later turned into a brutal civil war, now in its 14th year. The probe into their disappearance started in 2015 when Obeida Dabbagh, Mazen’s brother, testified to investigators already examining war crimes in Syria.

The four-day hearings come as Syria's President Bashar Assad has started to shed his longtime status as a pariah that stemmed from the violence unleashed on his opponents. Human rights groups involved in the case hope it will refocus attention on alleged atrocities.

About 50 activists gathered near the Paris Criminal Court, chanting for “freedom” and in support of the disappeared and the dead.

Arwad, a young Syrian girl who has lived in France since 2018, was not at the hearing but joined the rally. “We are refugees, we support freedom,” she said.

If the three — Ali Mamlouk, former head of the National Security Bureau, Jamil Hassan, former Air Force intelligence director, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, former head of investigations for the service in Damascus — are convicted, they could be sentenced to life in prison in France.

The first hearing on Tuesday invited several, including Ziad Majed, a Franco-Lebanese academic specializing in Syria, for “context testimonies" in front of three judges.

Majed shed light on the history of the Assad family’s rule since the early 1970s. "The three defendants are part of the Al-Assad system. I know their names; they are also famous in Lebanon,” he said, meaning they are well-known for being part of the Assad government.

After his two-hour testimony, Majed joined the demonstrators, calling for justice for the disappeared.

Garance Le Caisne, author and writer, and François Burgat, a scholar of Islam, also testified on Tuesday. Both are experts on Syrian matters.

Le Caisne said: “Torture is not to make people talk but to silence them. The regime is very structured. Arrests are arbitrary. You disappear. You can go buy bread or meat and not return home." He added that Assad in 2011 “thought he was losing power and repressed the protesters unimaginably” and that now his government had ”complete control over the population."

Meanwhile, François Burgat said that “torture in Syria existed well before the Syrian Spring” and that “political violence” has always existed in the Middle Eastern country.

"The Assad regime wants to lead a Shiite population. They do not want the predominantly Sunni refugees to return,” she said.

The Dabbagh family lawyer, Clemence Bectarte, from the International Federation for Human Rights, told The Associated Press she had high hopes for the trial.

“This trial represents immense hope for all Syrian victims who cannot attain justice. Impunity continues to reign in Syria, so this trial aims to bring justice to the family and echo the stories of hundreds of thousands of Syrian victims,” Bectarte said.

The brother, Obeida, and his wife, Hanane, are set to testify on Thursday, the third day of the trial. “I hope the responsible parties will be condemned. This could set a precedent for holding Assad accountable,” he told the AP. “Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died. Even today, some live in fear and terror.”

Obeida and Hanane, as well as non-governmental organizations, are parties to the trial.

“We are always afraid,” he said. “Since I started talking about this case, as soon as my brother and nephew disappeared, the motivation to see a trial took over. The fear disappeared. I am now relieved that this pain and suffering are leading to something.”

Brigitte Herremans, a senior researcher at the Human Rights Centre of Ghent University, emphasized the trial’s significance despite the defendants' absence. “It’s very important that perpetrators from the regime side are held accountable, even if it’s mainly symbolic. It means a lot for the fight against impunity,” Herremans said.

The verdict is expected on Friday.

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Oleg Cetinic in Paris contributed to this report.

Activists hold Syrian flags next to portraits of alleged victims of the Syrian regime, during a demonstration Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at a courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick and Mazen Dabbagh. The four-day hearings, starting Tuesday, are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Portraits of Patrick Dabbagh, bottom right, and his father Mazen Dabbagh, top left, are seen during a demonstration Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at a courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick and Mazen Dabbagh. The four-day hearings, starting Tuesday, are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Victims' s lawyer Patrick Baudouin answers reporters Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at a courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick Dabbagh and his father Mazen. The four-day hearings, starting Tuesday, are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Lawyer Clemence Bectarte answers reporters Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at a courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick Dabbagh and his father Mazen. The four-day hearings, starting Tuesday, are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Lawyer Clemence Bectarte, left, arrives at the court room with Syrian lawyer Mazen Darwish, second left, Obeida Dabbagh,brother of Mazen Dabbagh, second right and his wife Hanane, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick and his father Mazen. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Lawyer Clemence Bectarte answers reporters Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at a courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick Dabbagh and his father Mazen. The four-day hearings, starting Tuesday, are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Lawyer Clemence Bectarte, second left, arrives at the court room with Syrian lawyer Mazen Darwish, center, Obeida Dabbagh,brother of Mazen Dabbagh, second right and his wife Hanane, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the courtroom in Paris. A Paris court will this week seek to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials — the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war — were responsible for the 2013 disappearance and deaths of Patrick and his father Mazen. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)