In the fourth game of their pivotal Western Conference quarterfinal series, the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets squared off. LeBron James led the Lakers to a commanding performance, but things did not go as planned toward the end of the game. James seemed to become irate with head coach Darvin Ham for not contesting an official’s call.
Following a miscall, LeBron James gets scorched earth near the Lakers bench.
Nine minutes into the fourth quarter, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drove toward the paint while Los Angeles was on defense. Caldwell-Pope attempted to penetrate, but LeBron James stopped him, and the Nuggets star mishandled the ball out of bounds. James was the final person to touch the ball, according to the officials’ ruling.
As a result, James got upset about the play and appeared to want Darvin Ham to challenge:
Caldwell-Pope was, it appeared from a playback, the final player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds. James’ annoyance is therefore understandable:
James and the Lakers carried on their offensive barrage against the Nuggets in spite of the incident, winning 117-108. James finished the intense game with five rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block, and a team-high thirty points. When LA most needed him, the 39-year-old turned up, and he wasn’t by himself.
With 25 points and 24 rebounds, Anthony Davis had a dominant effort. Right now, the NBA star big man is playing some of the finest basketball of his career. D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, who each scored 21 points, supported Davis’s efforts.
Los Angeles is now down 3-0 in the series, but they will fight again tomorrow. They will have the opportunity to bring the contest to 3-2 after avoiding a clean sweep. However, the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic do not want LA to stay around.
On Saturday night, Jokic scored 33 points, dished out 14 assists, and pulled down 14 rebounds for a triple-double. It was insufficient, though, to help Denver climb over the hump. In the event that they get a trip to the NBA Playoffs’ second round, he and his teammates will make sure to come back strong in Game 5.
But LeBron James and company will use every effort to keep that from occurring. Can the Lakers continue to progress and survive?
