Basketball: Bryant's nous leaves Lakers on brink of clean sweep

Robert Horry sunk a last-minute three-pointer, Kobe Bryant had his first impressive offensive game of the series and Shaquille O'Neal scored 35 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the New Jersey Nets 106-103 in the third game of the NBA finals on Sunday.

If they find similar success tomorrow night, the Lakers, who lead 3-0 in this best-of-seven series, will become the first team in franchise history to sweep the NBA Finals – no small accomplishment for a team with 13 titles.

"It feels great whenever you have a chance to make history. As a team we've been through so much, and hopefully we can add to our list of accomplishments," Bryant said.

This was the closest and most entertaining game of the finals, but in the end the Lakers showed their mettle. When it came time for vital baskets, big blocked shots and key free throws, the defending champions produced the goods.

No team has recovered from three games down to win an NBA play-off series, and don't expect to see an achievement of that magnitude from the Nets – even though they managed to play a competitive game for the first time in the series. "I don't think there is a team that can do that," Bryant said. "We're a confident team and we're playing really well together."

Jason Kidd was outstanding, leading the Nets on a 19-5 run that gave them their biggest lead to that point in the series – 86-80 early in the fourth. But it was Bryant who made the bigger plays down the stretch – none more important than his three-metre jump shot over Kidd with 19.1 seconds remaining for a 104-100 lead.

"It was one of the toughest," Bryant said of the shot. "It was a matter of just wanting it. I didn't want to lose possession or let my team-mates down."