The Denver Nuggets return home with a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 20. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial).

Although the Los Angeles Lakers’ late-season transformation is one of this NBA season’s best stories, LeBron James and his teammates finally appear to be running out of steam in the Western Conference finals.

They’ve also finally run into an opponent capable of making sure this story doesn’t have a completely happy ending.

After looking weary and mistake-prone in Denver during their first back-to-back losses in over two months, the Lakers face a must-win Game 3 Saturday.

Los Angeles has been on a prolonged roll ever since the trade deadline, going 27-12 while surging into the playoff picture, winning a play-in game and knocking out two higher-seeded opponents in six games. But that roll has finally been slowed by Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the respect-hungry Nuggets, whose superior late-game play was the reason they’re up 2-0.

The Lakers insist they’re not as tired as they looked for stretches of both games in Denver, when they settled for too many jumpers, ran the court less effectively and lost a fraction of their defensive intensity. James and Anthony Davis both say the fatigue of this relentless two-month sprint toward title contention isn’t finally too much for a team that altered half of its roster just three months ago.

But James’ weariness appears to be evident in his jump shot — and in his reliance on that shot instead of the more physically demanding task of driving to the hoop. The top scorer in NBA history went 0 for 6 on 3-pointers in Game 2, making him 0 for 10 in the series. He has also missed 19 consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter over the Lakers’ last 11 playoff games.

On top of the fatigue from the heavy workload for his 38-year-old body, James also sprained his left ankle in the third quarter of Game 2, although said he would be fine for Game 3.

Davis is prone to offensive inconsistency, and the stress of leading the Lakers’ defensive effort against mighty Denver may have affected him — although he insists it didn’t. What’s clear is that Davis’ 18-point performance on 4-of-15 shooting in Game 2 isn’t enough from the Lakers’ franchise big man, particularly after his 40-point effort in Game 1, when the Lakers’ defense was much worse.

The Lakers are hoping for a big boost from their success-hungry home fans when they get back to their downtown arena, where they’re 7-0 at home since the regular season ended.

When is the Lakers-Nuggets Game 3?

The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets play at 7:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. ET) on Saturday, May 20.

Streaming options

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo pro” package, which comprises 146-plus channels for $74.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

There is also the “fubo elite” package, which comprises 205-plus channels for $84.99 per month. It comes with fuboExtra (48 more channels) and News Plus (11 more channels). Plus, more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

The “fubo premiere” package is “fubo elite” with the addition of Showtime for $94.99 per month.

What TV channel is game on?

The Lakers and Nuggets will be broadcast on ABC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.