Jamal Murray scored 37 points for the Denver Nuggets as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-108 to move one win away from reaching the NBA finals for the first time in their history.
The victory gave the Nuggets a 3-0 lead against the Lakers in their best-of-seven Western Conference finals series.
Murray's team-mate Nikola Jokic added 24 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter.
"We kept them at a distance for most of the game," said Murray.
"I just felt like we executed throughout the game and hit first."
Murray scored 30 of his points in the first half to put the Nuggets in control at the home of the Lakers as he also registered seven rebounds, six assists and a game-high five three-pointers.
The next game is in Los Angeles on Monday (01:30 BST Tuesday) and no team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.
"We got to get one, just get one at a time," said LA Lakers star LeBron James, who scored 23 points in game three.
"Just focus on game four, that's all you can think about. Obviously, this game is over with. We had some opportunities and we didn't come through.
"It's a one-game series for us."
The Miami Heat lead the Boston Celtics 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference finals series with game three on Sunday in Miami (01:30 BST Monday).
