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LeBron James can reach a milestone only achieved by three players in NBA Finals history if the Los Angeles Lakers can close out their Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets.
NBA Live: Denver @ LA Lakers GM 5
Sunday, September 27 2:00 am
James has a chance to reach the NBA Finals for the 10th time, a feat accomplished by only three greats of the game. Anthony Davis is on the verge of his first. The final step for the Lakers is shaping up to be the toughest.
They have to knock out the Denver Nuggets, who have been on the brink of being ejected from the NBA bubble six times and each time they refused to go.
“You can never feel comfortable with this team,” Davis said. “They have been in this situation twice. We have been in the situation twice. But both teams are familiar with these situations, but this team is not going to go away.”
2:03
Game 5 takes place in the early hours of Sunday morning (2am), live on Sky Sports Mix (Ch 416).
The Lakers have finished their two series so far in five games. But the Nuggets also lost 3-1 to Utah and the LA Clippers, fell far behind in Game 5 and then struggled not only to win the game but ultimately the series.
No team had erased two 3-1 deficits in a postseason and now the Nuggets must do it for the third time. It’s a situation they could have avoided if they had made one more defensive stop in Game 2 or if they had given up a few fewer second-chance points in Game 4.
“These are all close games that we are playing,” guard Jamal Murray said. “I’m going to keep fighting.”
2:58
Murray was sensational again in Game 4, although James held him back long enough down the stretch after taking on the defensive task to help the Lakers to a 114-108 victory.
One more victory and James ties NBA leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for third place on his career list with 10 NBA Finals appearances. Only Hall of Famers Bill Russell (12) and Sam Jones (11) of the Boston Celtics have gone further.
It would be James ‘first with the Lakers after five appearances in Cleveland and four in Miami, and the Lakers’ first trip to the final since winning the last of their 16 championships in 2010.
James and Davis have been the undisputed catalysts of this career, and they have had great support from some proven playoff veterans.
0:16
Dwight Howard had 12 points and 11 rebounds Thursday night in his first start of this postseason, helping send Los Angeles to its overwhelming 25-6 lead in second-chance points. Rajon Rondo contributed 11 points and moved up to eighth on his career list with seven more assists.
“In the postseason, every possession is very important,” James said. “When you can have guys who have been in the moments and can understand and also be able to make adjustments on the fly, and know that you can count on them down the stretch, it makes the team and you individually feel so much more.” confident in the result. “
The younger Nuggets don’t have those kinds of veterans, but they do have the experience of this historic postseason run that could have ended on August 25, the night of Game 5 against Utah. A month later, they’re still at Disney World, still trying to prove hope isn’t lost for up to four games.
“I think people probably think this is exactly where we want them. It’s not. We’d rather be up 3-1, but it is what it is. We put ourselves in this position,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.
0:10
“Our team has shown tremendous stamina and guts to get out of this sooner. I have no doubt that we will bring that same fight to (Game 5) and I hope we can keep this series alive.”
If they do, Game 6 would take place in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Otherwise, the Lakers will prepare to face Miami, in their first appearance since James left in 2014, or the Celtics, their biggest rival whose record of 17 NBA titles they could match by winning the 2020 title.
The Lakers won’t think about any of that until the Nuggets finally leave.
2:19
“Like I said last game, we have to eliminate them,” Davis said. “They are going to keep fighting, no matter what the score is, no matter what the situation is. We just have to make sure we counter everything they do.”
Watch Game 5 of the Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports Mix (Ch 416) and the Main Event in the early hours of Sunday morning (2 am); TNT pre-game preparation live from 1 am, also on Mix
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