Lakers 114 – Nuggets 108 (L.A. leads the sequence 3-1)

LeBron James guided the Lakers to a Recreation Four win over the Nuggets on Thursday, scoring 26 factors on 7-of-18 capturing to go along with 9 rebounds, eight assists and one 3-pointer in 38 minutes. It wasn’t his most effective efficiency, however he did do a significantly better job of attending to the road after solely making an attempt two free throws in Tuesday’s Recreation Three loss, taking 14 journeys to the charity stripe and changing on 11 of these makes an attempt. He additionally did a significantly better job of taking good care of the rock (after committing a team-high six turnovers in Recreation 3), ending Thursday’s recreation with out a single TO, and as a staff, the Lakers solely dedicated 9 turnovers on the night. It was an entire recreation from LeBron James, and he even took on the problem of attempting to comprise Jamal Murray in crunch time.

“Hell of a participant, one of many hottest guys we’ve got in The Bubble at present,” stated James when requested about choosing up Murray defensively down the stretch. “So, I needed to take the problem. He’s a tricky guard, very shifty, a triple menace having the ability to shoot the three, pull up within the midrange and get into the lane. I used to be utilizing my size, utilizing my athleticism, and in addition simply being good.”

With James as Murray’s major defender down the stretch, he held the 23-year-old scorching guard to simply 4 factors on 0-of-Three capturing from the sphere and 4-of-Four from the road.

Anthony Davis was dominant within the win, bullying his option to 34 factors on 10-of-15 capturing (13-of-14 from the road) to go along with one 3-pointer, 5 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three turnovers in 41 minutes. AD settled for lots of jumpers in Recreation 3, however he was far more aggressive in attacking the rack on Thursday evening, and he opened the sport with seven straight buckets. He did tweak an ankle late within the recreation, however he performed by it, and whereas he’ll possible pop up on the harm report for Recreation 5 on Saturday – I severely doubt he’ll skip a possible closeout recreation.

Dwight Howard changed JaVale McGee within the beginning group and his vitality and rebounding helped maintain the Lakers within the recreation by the primary half with loads of the opposite function participant struggling. Throughout 23 minutes, Howard posted a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double to go along with one help and one steal; whereas McGee noticed simply 5 minutes with the second unit. McGee’s minutes have been on the decline since Recreation 1, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him dropped from the rotation fully in Recreation 5, significantly if Dwight retains taking part in the way in which he’s.

“Dwight was phenomenal for the minutes that he performed, he bought us additional pictures once we was lacking early on,” stated LBJ after the sport. “We would have liked that outta him. It was classic Dwight. He’s been a league chief in rebounds loads of instances over his profession, in order that was large time. We knew, coming into this recreation, that we didn’t rebound in any respect final recreation, they dominated us, so we had been simply attempting to show the tide.”

The Lakers had been outrebounded 44-25 on Tuesday, however they gained that battle 41-33 on Thursday, and Dwight performed an enormous function in righting the ship. It wasn’t a reasonably win, with the Lakers commonly taking eternally to get into their offense, and the function gamers doing loads of watching whereas the Laker stars dribbled the air out of the ball, however they bought the job executed and are actually only one win away from taking this franchise again to the promised land.

As for Denver, they now discover themselves down 1-Three but once more, so technically, they’ve the Lakers proper the place they need them.

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Jamal Murray was unbelievable within the hard-fought loss, netting 32 factors on 12-of-20 capturing (8-of-Eight from the road) to go along with three rebounds, eight assists, one block and 4 turnovers in 45 minutes. He had the new hand early, dropping in a fast 12 factors on 6-of-7 capturing to open the sport, and he did a superb job of snaking by double groups and never permitting the Lakers to take him out of possessions. LeBron James did give him some bother down the stretch, so that could be a matchup the Lakers throw at him extra commonly in Recreation 5, however as we’ve seen a number of instances all through these playoffs – Murray tends to determine tips on how to break the defensive schemes meant to comprise him.

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“These 17 video games have simply been Jamal on steroids. He’s taken his recreation to an entire ’nother degree in all sides,” head coach Mike Malone stated of Murray throughout his pregame presser. “I feel he’s gone from an excellent participant… and now on this stage has confirmed himself to be a fantastic participant, a famous person. You don’t see these [postseason] numbers fairly often, thoughts you from a participant that’s solely in his second 12 months within the playoffs.”

Whereas Murray was nice, Nikola Jokic was simply okay, as he struggled with foul bother and completed with 16 factors, seven rebounds, two triples, 4 assists, two steals and one turnover in 36 minutes. He went 6-of-13 from the sphere and 2-of-2 from the road, however he was simply overly passive on this one, and much more damning, he went scoreless by the ultimate body of motion. The Joker might want to do a significantly better job of actively in search of out his shot in Recreation 5.

Jerami Grant, who was coming off a 26-point efficiency from Tuesday, continued to play with loads of confidence in Recreation 4, scoring 17 factors on 6-of-13 capturing (3-of-Four from the road) to go along with two triples, two rebounds and one help over 43 minutes. Grant was actually quiet by the primary two video games of this sequence, however he’s come alive in Video games Three and Four with averages of 21.5 factors, 2.5 boards, 2.Zero triples, 1.Zero help, 1.Zero steal and 1.Zero turnover per contest on 54.2% capturing.

Monte Morris and Michael Porter Jr. had been each efficient off the bench, with Morris contributing 12 factors, two rebounds and 4 assists over 27 minutes; and MPJ registering 13 factors, eight rebounds, three treys, one help, one steal and two turnovers in 21 minutes.

Credit score to Denver, regardless of being outmatched talent-wise over the previous two sequence, they proceed to combat onerous and simply gained’t go away or wilt underneath the strain. They’ve managed to maintain most of those video games shut, and all their guys play with cussed depth for the total 48 minutes. As Scott Brooks as soon as stated, “it’s onerous to play good, but it surely’s straightforward to play onerous.”

Now, do I feel this Denver staff goes to do the unprecedented and pull off their third straight sequence win regardless of but once more trailing 1-3? Completely not. There’s no approach that LeBron James will enable his staff to get bounced within the Western Convention Finals. He is aware of that that is certainly one of his greatest pictures at securing Ring No. 4, and he is aware of what it will imply for his legacy. However I do count on the Nuggets to present them hell, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a seven-game sequence given Denver’s grit and the Lakers, at instances, undisciplined offense.

The Lakers will try to shut this factor out on Saturday, however they need to be bracing for an intense battle with Denver, with the Nuggets’ season on the road. The sport will likely be on TNT and tip-off at 9:00 pm ET.