The Lakers have been in a passive position for the first three games of the series, raising fears that they will be swept out of the tournament at home.
However, just as expectations for the Lakers faded, they staged an exhilarating comeback in G4 that added endless suspense and excitement to the entire series.
On April 28, 2024, Beijing time, a key battle in the Western Conference semifinals G4 of the NBA playoffs kicked off at the Lakers' home court. For the Lakers, this is a critical battle to preserve their dignity.
In the predicament of trailing 0-3, they can only avoid the embarrassing situation of being swept out by the Nuggets by this one by winning this game.
At the beginning of the game, the two sides launched a fierce offensive and defensive confrontation. The Lakers relied on the excellent performance of main players such as James and thick eyebrows, and once expanded the difference to 11 points.
However, the Nuggets did not give up on this, and they relied on the continuous scoring of Jokic, Murray and other players to chase the difference to 3 points at one point. At the end of the first half, the Lakers temporarily led 61-48.
At the beginning of the second half, the Nuggets launched a fierce counterattack. Back-to-back scoring by Porter and Jokic allowed them to chase the deficit to seven points at one point. However, the Lakers' defense was just as good, and they quickly extended the margin back to double digits with three-pointers from Russell, Prince and others.
Heading into the final quarter, the Lakers' advantage was even more apparent. The back-to-back scoring of James and Russell allowed them to extend the margin to 19 points at one point. Although the Nuggets chased the difference to 7 points through the crazy counterattack of players such as Pope and Porter, there was not much time left.
With Reaves' key shot and free throws, the Lakers eventually beat the Nuggets 119-108 to pull one back.
The victory in this game is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the Lakers. After being suppressed by the Nuggets in three consecutive games, they finally showed the championship spirit they deserved by virtue of their overall strength.
It is worth mentioning that the Lakers' performance in this game can be described as excellent in all aspects.
Whether it's Bushy Eyebrows and James on the inside, or Russell and Reaves on the outside, they all show extremely high scoring efficiency and excellent defensive ability. This kind of all-out state gives the Lakers a clear advantage on both the offensive and defensive ends.
On the other hand, the Nuggets, although they also played well in this game, still have some problems on the defensive end. Although Jokic had a staggering 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists, he was still a little thin on the defensive end. This may be one of the reasons why the Nuggets ultimately lost.
However, even if the Lakers win this game, the outcome of the entire series is far from clear. As a team with extraordinary strength, the Nuggets will certainly not give up easily.
I believe that in the next game, they will definitely go all out and try to regain the initiative. Therefore, the Lakers must not slack off in the slightest, and they need to maintain this high fighting spirit in order to finally win the entire series.