It ain’t over until it’s over. That was the Lakers’ mindset going into game four against the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James led the team with 30 points, and Anthony Davis dominated with 25 points and 23 rebounds as they would win 119-108 on Saturday night.
In a must-win game, the two stars made their presence known against the heavily favored Nuggets. But, it was the supporting cast that stepped up to the challenge too. D’Angelo Russell bounced back, playing 41 minutes and scored 21 points on 8-15 shooting. Austin Reaves also contributed 21 points of his own and dished out six assists in the win.
Los Angeles shot 52% from the field, which was better compared to Denver’s 45%. They also out-rebounded their opponent 46-40 (which is not surprising, considering Davis had 23 of them).
👑🤝〰️ pic.twitter.com/U4Aeumk1fA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 28, 2024
Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, who finished with another triple-double (33/14/14). Michael Porter remains hot, going 10-20 and finishing with 27 points. Jamal Murray shot 9-23 but did finish with 22 in the losing effort. After a monster game in game three, Los Angeles brought Aaron Gordon down to earth (seven points, three rebounds).
More importantly, the Lakers had a lead and kept it the entire way. From start to finish, they kept the pedal to the metal and held off the Nuggets from making a comeback for a fourth straight game.
Many expected the Lakers’ season to end today. But, it lives to see another day after the win.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James come up HUGE for the @Lakers to force a Game 5!
— NBA (@NBA) April 28, 2024
AD: 25 PTS | 23 REB | 6 AST | 64.7 FG%
LBJ: 30 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 60.9 FG% pic.twitter.com/6yMjhswkI7
The game plan is simple for game five. It’s to replicate the same performance you had tonight, while also trying to calm Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray as much as possible. Both guys had good shooting nights, and slowing them down will be key to making things less stressful.
As tiring as he may be, James will have to continue to lead this team to history. No team has come back to win any series down 3-1… Except when he did that with the 2016 Cavaliers. His 14 points in the fourth quarter were key to holding things down for the Lakers and will need to be clutch again on Monday.
Davis was phenomenal with his double-double, dominating the boards like he did. I expect the same from him in game five. Most importantly, the supporting guys need to continue to play well. We saw what happens when guys like Russell and/or Reaves have bad games; the Lakers end up losing. Those two, along with Rui Hachimura and the bench will need to contribute in some way shape or form on Monday to keep their season alive.
This was a good start to what could be a comeback of the ages for the Lakers. Let’s see if they can make history.
Oh, one more thing. The Lakers lose Monday, and James is definitely calling for Darvin Ham‘s head.
I’ve never seen LeBron James this animated before… pic.twitter.com/yk5YDqFXy1
— 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 (@SixthManJake) April 28, 2024
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Featured Image: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
