Lake Buena Vista, Fla. – The Los Angeles Lakers have a win back in the NBA Finals – and only a second comeback from a 3-1 down by the Denver Nuggets could stop them.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James 26 and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 114-108 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Thursday night.
Davis made a quick start to the Lakers with his scoring and James helped him finish it with his defense, while Jamal Murray was passed late after the Nuggets were put in a more troublesome basket by the guards.
James has added nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers have 12 offensive rebounds for a 25-26 advantage in second chance points.
Game 5 is Saturday, when the Lakers could reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.
Nug will have to face elimination for the seventh time in the bubble. They were 3-1 down against Utah in the first round and out of the same hole against the Los Angeles Clippers in the West semifinals.
But they could not return to the game, coming within a point of the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but returned from there continuously through key stops or rebounds by the Lakers.
The Lakers have 16 championships, the most behind Boston in NBA history, but have not played a single match since winning their most recent title in 2010.
The Lakers started Dwight Howard at center and had 12 points and 11 rebounds, helping to put Nicola Jokic in the wrong trouble.
Murray had 32 points and eight assists, but Joaquim finished with just 16 points and seven rebounds.
Davis scored 27 points in Game 3 but at 6-for-10 he admitted that his two-bound performance was “unacceptable.” It came out more aggressively on Thursday after the Lakers played much later than the last game.
With an array of short jumpers, Davis made his first six shots before anyone else on the Lakers made the basket. Howard then scored on consecutive follow shots after James scored his first two field goals.
Murray stopped keeping the Lakers too far from a 7-for-8 start. Before the Lakers took a 60-55 edge in the locker room, he left his acrobatic layout around James with 2/2 minutes left in half with a pair of free throws, before taking a 60-55 edge in the Lakers locker room.
The Nuggets shot 59% in the first half but the Lakers had an 18-2 advantage in the second half.
Rajon Rondo and Cantavius Cuddwell-Pop together seemed to be in control of the Lakers, while the third had an 11-run lead with less than 4 minutes left, but Michael Porter Jr. hit a 3-point lead in two innings. 87-84 to go to that fourth.
Tip-INS
Lakers: Howard did not start any of his 10 post ason Sun performances and did not play at all in the last round, while the Lakers were too young to play a match against the Houston Rockets. He made two starts in the regular season. … Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points and Rondo had 11.
Nuggets: Jeremy Grant has 17 points and Porter has 13 points.
Ideas for Taylor
James had the words “We want justice” next to Brona Taylor’s name on the sneaker. Lakers coach Frank Vogel broke the news the day before that a grand jury in Kentucky has not charged Louisville police with slapping players for killing a black woman.
“It’s heartbreaking, and you know, there’s really no silver lining in it. It’s just not remembering that – it’s hard for Brenna Taylor, her family and everyone in whom this investment has been made.”
“But when unarmed black men are killed, all the other innocents are released, and that’s something that hits us hard. A reminder, you know, how important it is to vote and be educated? There’s potential All the police are on the reform bill, and only we can play our part and help change. “
Millssep polling station
Nuggets also announced a partnership between Forward Paul Millsapp and Deckallab County to create a CORE4 training facility as a general election polling station in Chambly, Georgia. Millsap, who wore a “vote” on his jersey during the resume, is the founder of the facility, which will be open for early voting from October 12-30.
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