At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 23, the G4 will start in Los Angeles. The Lakers are 3-0 down on aggregate and will be eliminated if they lose another game, which could be James' final game of the season. Jokic will try to lead the Nuggets through their opponents and reach the Finals for the first time in team history.
In the G3 game in the Western Conference finals, the Nuggets beat the Lakers 119-108 on the road, extending the overall score to 3-0. With 7:48 left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers led the Nuggets 94-93, but then the Nuggets hit a 13-0 run to completely set the foundation for the victory. Jokic had 24 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, and Jokic's efficiency was somewhat affected by early foul trouble, but he got into rhythm in the final quarter and scored 15 points in a single quarter.
Murray scored 37 points and scored 30 points in the first half. Lakers veteran Pope contributed 17 points. "I never doubted my team," Jokic said, "I knew what they were capable of, you saw in the third quarter, Pope had four minutes to play really well, he had a brow position, a steal, and a major three-pointer. We have some really good players who can step up when they need him and that's what we do. ”
The Nuggets have four chances to advance, and if the Lakers pull one back in G4, Game 5 will be played back in Denver on Thursday, Beijing time.
Commenting on the performance of the G3 team, Nuggets coach Malone said, "I saw composure, Jokic had to leave the court due to foul issues, and the team did not panic. He can't play, which means other people have to step up, which is something our team has done time and time again. I know it's a cliché, but maintaining a 'next person coming forward' mentality over the years has helped us a lot. ”
The Lakers advanced to the playoffs through the playoffs, finishing Black Seven in the first round, eliminating the Grizzlies, and beating last season's champion Warriors in the second round, but now it seems that they will be difficult to compete with the Nuggets.
"I mean it's 3-0, not 4-0, so as long as they're not 4-0, we have hope," Lakers coach Hamm said. ”
Thick Brow finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds in G3, James and Reeves each had 23 points, and James also contributed 12 assists. Defensively, the Lakers failed to limit their opponents in the final quarter, and the Nuggets shot 60 percent in the fourth quarter. They handed out 30 assists throughout the game and had only six turnovers.
"I can't speak for other people because I don't know what they're thinking right now, but I still have confidence in myself," James said, "and it's time to go home and keep working hard and start the healing and recovery process to get ready for the next game." My mentality has always been focused, like it was just the first game. One of the variables for the Lakers' next game is that center Bamba has recovered from injury and is sure to play in G4 games.
In NBA history, with a playoff trail of 3-0, no team has ever completed a turnaround, with a record of 0-149. This is also the fourth time in James' playoff career that James has faced a 3-0 trail, having previously been swept 4-0 by the Spurs in the 2007 Finals, 4-1 by the Warriors in the 2017 Finals, and 4-0 by the Warriors in the 2018 Finals. Can James get one back this year to avoid being swept out?