Another game in the exciting Western Conference finals series is set to play as the Lakers will battle the Nuggets in Game 4 on Thursday night. The Lakers have not been in control by any means and would be trailing if Anthony Davis didn’t hit a buzzer-beater in Game 2.
If the Lakers can come away with a win, it would mark the third time in a row this postseason that the Nuggets were down 3-1. There is no danger in playing for the win, though, if you are LeBron James and company.
They have proven throughout the postseason that they are capable of dominating long stretches. That’s the hope for Game 4.
The Denver Nuggets were down 3-1 to the Jazz in round one. They advanced. Down 3-1 to the Clippers in round two. They advanced.
But the Lakers are a different monster, and they’ll hope to win Thursday to even the series and avoid having to make some history again. They were able to hold off the Lakers in Game 3 after narrowly avoiding blowing a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes.
ODDS:
The spread for Thursday’s game favors the Lakers by 6 points. The over/under is set at 214.5.
Lakers Search for 3-1
A win would give LA a confident series lead. We’ll see if they are able to make it happen in this game, as this would be critical. They’ve got two of the top eight players in the NBA with James and Davis, so there isn’t an excuse for them to lose. Except if they are simply outworked.
They weren’t able to slow Jamal Murray down, which is a killer because they had Nikola Jokic stifled for much of the second half. That will probably not happen again, but they did something interesting with the rotation. Dwight Howard started the second half, and Davis played the entire fourth quarter.
It’s unclear if they would keep the rotation the same again, but it’s worth noting that they strayed from the norm in Game 3. Anything goes in the playoffs.
Nuggets Trying to Avoid Past Mistakes
They have trailed 2-1 on two other occasions. They lost Game 4 both times. They hope to make it a little different this time and finally pull even before it gets to 3-1.
Murray was exceptional and single-handedly helped Denver finish the game off. They also got a masterful performance from Jerami Grant. Davis grabbed just two rebounds, while all of the Nuggets continued to pull them down. Michael Porter Jr. and Monte Morris provided quality minutes off the bench.
And the Nuggets also changed their late-game rotation. Mason Plumlee did not start the fourth quarter, but Grant did instead. They did what they believed they had to secure the win. And they pulled it off. Interestingly, we did not see a PJ Dozier sighting in the game.
Nuggets Keep It Close Again
3-1 who? The Nuggets will keep things tight and will be in striking distance in the waning moments.
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