[ad_1]
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers react after their win against the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs on September 24, 2020. Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images / AFP
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals, and only another 3-1 comeback against the Denver Nuggets can stop them.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26 and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 114-108 Thursday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Davis got the Lakers off to a quick start with his scoring and James helped them finish off their defense, forcing Jamal Murray to make some late fouls after the guard kept the Nuggets in with a series of high-difficulty baskets.
James added nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds for a whopping 25-6 lead in second-chance points.
Game 5 is Saturday, when the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.
The Nuggets will face elimination for the seventh time in the bubble. They were down 3-1 against Utah in the first round and came out of the same hole against the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western semifinals.
But they couldn’t come back in this game, they got close to a point in the first minute of the fourth quarter, but constantly fell back from there with a key stop or rebound from the Lakers.
The Lakers have 16 championships, one more behind Boston in NBA history, but they haven’t played for one since winning their most recent title in 2010.
The Lakers opened up Dwight Howard in center and he had 12 points and 11 rebounds, which helped put Nikola Jokic in foul trouble.
Murray had 32 points and eight assists, but Jokic finished with just 16 points and seven rebounds.
Davis scored 27 points in Game 3, but the 6-foot-10 forward acknowledged his two-rebound performance was “unacceptable.” He came out much more aggressively Thursday after the Lakers played from behind much of the last game.
With a series of short jump shots, Davis made his first six shots before any other Lakers player scored. Then Howard scored on consecutive shots before James followed with his first two field goals.
Murray kept the Lakers from straying too far with a 7-for-8 start. He continued his acrobatic layup around James with two and a half minutes left at the half with a pair of free throws that cut him down to four, before the Lakers took a 60-55 lead in the locker room.
The Nuggets shot 59% in the first half, but the Lakers held an 18-2 lead in second-chance points.
The Lakers appeared to be taking control as Rajon Rondo and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for a flurry that brought the lead to 11 with less than 4 minutes remaining in the third, but Michael Porter Jr. hit two 3-pointers late in the cutoff period. . to 87-84 going to the room.
TIPS
Lakers: Howard hadn’t started in any of his 10 postseason appearances and didn’t play much in the final round, when the Lakers fell short to match the Houston Rockets. He made two starts in the regular season. … Caldwell-Pope scored 13 points and Rondo 11.
Nuggets: Jerami Grant scored 17 points and Porter 13.
THOUGHTS FOR TAYLOR
James had the words “We want justice” written next to Breonna Taylor’s name on his sneaker. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said the news the day before that a Kentucky grand jury failed to press charges against Louisville police for the black woman’s shooting death hit the players hard.
“It’s heartbreaking, and you know, there’s really no silver lining. It is a reminder that it is not alone, it is difficult for Breonna Taylor, his family and everyone who participated in this, ”said Vogel.
“But it’s just a reminder of all the other acquittals when unarmed black men are being killed, and it’s something that has hit us hard. Just a reminder that, you know, how important it is that we all vote and be informed about all the potential police reform bills out there, and we are just playing our part and doing our best to help bring about change. “
MILLSAP POLLING PLACE
The Nuggets announced a partnership between forward Paul Millsap and DeKalb County to convert the CORE4 training facility in Chamblee, Georgia, as a voting center for the general election. Millsap, who wears the word “Vote” on his t-shirt during the reboot, is the founder of the facility that will be open for early voting from October 12-30.
Read next
EDITOR’S SELECTION
MOST READ
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download from 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, please contact us.
[ad_2]
