Lakers vs Nuggets Preview: Can Denver get past a scorching Anthony Davis and script another 3-1 comeback?
"The Nuggets have got the Lakers right where they wanted" was a tweet that did the rounds soon after the Los Angeles Lakers registered a close 114-108 win on Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday, September 24. With three games left in the series, the Denver Nuggets actually had a chance to make tie this up and take the lead from Game 5, if not for the missed chances and letting the Lakers grab the early lead. Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo made life difficult for Nuggets while LeBron James and Anthony Davis used the time to get in some points while the Nuggets were warming up.
Quite simply, the Lakers just made ample use of the second chances they received over the course of the game by finding the basket for over 90% of their free throws. While they may head into the game in red-hot form with the sheer confidence of bouncing back, they do need to know that the Lakers side are a better side than Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. Both teams were victims of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic's sensational gameplays.
Murray is not a one-match wonder and neither is Jokic. While he may not have had a 40 or a 50-point run like he did in the first round of playoffs as he did against Jazz, Murray has taken every opportunity and created windows to score against one of the best defensive teams in the postseason. Game 4 would have been a goner for the Lakers had it not been for some impressive moves by Rondo. Murray finished the day with 32 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Such was his performance that both camps just stood up and applauded the Nuggets man.
So while they may be the resilient comeback kids, they have Anthony Davis to contend with. Not LeBron James, not Alex Caruso, not Rondo, but big man Davis. Twice in two games, AD got the better of the Nuggets. Game 2 saw him scream "Kobe!" after a buzzer-beating win and on Thursday, he raced to 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He started the game by hitting the first seven shots from the field and despite hobbling around after landing hard on his ankle, he closed it out for the Lakers.
That essentially means the Lakers deserve to be ahead in the series. However, the Nuggets are pretty close. Should they want to apply pressure on LeBron James and his men, they need two outright wins to take the game as close as possible forcing a Game 7 to create history. At the same time, the Lakers are gunning for glory themselves as they attempt to win the Western Conference finals. So quite essentially, it's all about what the Nuggets can do to apply the learnings to script a fairytale comeback for the third time in a row.
And one of them is trying to stop Anthony Davis.
Game 5 is slated for Saturday, September 26.