Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James refused to commit himself to the team for next season after suffering the earliest playoff exit of his career at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Monday. "I'm not going to answer that," James said when asked if he considered whether Monday's game could be his last with the Lakers. James, who went out in the first round for only the second time in his 21-year-career, also said he would eventually sit down with his agent, Rich Paul, and his family to evaluate "what's best for my career." The NBA's all-time leading scorer has a player option for next season worth $51.4 million. He has until June 29 to opt into the final year of his contract or become an unrestricted free agent. Despite turning 39 in December, James continued to post strong numbers in 2023-24, averaging 25.7 points with 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was close to only the ninth 25-20-10 triple-double in NBA playoff history on Monday, finishing a 108-106 victory over the Lakers with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists. Jokic started the game slowly and had trouble handling the ball, ending up with seven turnovers, but he played a massive role in the team's success again and came very close to having his fifth postseason game with at least 25 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 dimes. He finished the contest with 12-for-21 shooting, missing four of five attempts from downtown. The Serbian superstar will now start preparing to battle the Timberwolves. Minnesota was the league's top defensive team during the regular season and has Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns to throw at Jokic, but he's averaged a 33-point triple-double in the matchup this term.

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray shook off a calf injury to produce a game-winning performance in Monday's Game 5 against the Lakers. He led all scorers with 32 points, wrapping things up with a jumper four seconds from the end to make it 108-106 and win Denver the game and series. Murray shot 13-for-28 from the field and 5-for-10 from downtown en route to his highest-scoring performance of the series. He also contributed on the offensive end with seven assists and recorded three rebounds and one steal. Despite dealing with a calf strain, Murray logged 41 minutes of action. He will now get some much-needed rest, with the Nuggets' second-round series against Minnesota not starting until Saturday. Denver's star guard is averaging 23.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the postseason.

According to TNT's Allie LaForce, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (calf) will play on Monday night versus the Lakers. The 27-year-old was on the injury report because of a left calf strain. While the team is certainly glad to have him out there, he may not be fully healthy. However, Murray has an excellent chance to turn things around after his rough showing in Game 4, making him a viable DFS option for Game 5.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (calf) will undergo an MRI on Tuesday. The veteran suffered what the team called right calf tightness before the end of the first half, so he'd finish the night with seven points in 14 minutes. Fortunately, medical personnel don't suspect an Achilles injury. However, the ailment could be enough to keep Porzingis off the floor for Game 5, although it's still too early to speculate. But if he can't go, Al Horford should slide into the starting lineup, with Luke Kornet getting minutes behind him from off the bench.