Back to Denver, we go.
The Denver Nuggets lost their first game of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, 119-108. They entered Saturday night with a 3-0 lead against Los Angeles. Now, both teams head back to the Mile High City for a pivotal Game 5. No team has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit, so the odds are still in Denver's favor. They have two more games at home to close the series out. Denver had won 11 consecutive games heading into Game 4, regular season and postseason included.
"Guys are frustrated, but we'll regroup tomorrow and we're still together. We'll always be together. I mean, this is the playoffs, man, it's not gonna be an easy road. It's gonna be hard, very hard to become a champion this year and repeat. The road is not easy. We're playing against some great players," said Michael Porter Jr. "We can't let bumps in the road throw us off too much."
Nikola Jokić led the Nuggets with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. This was the 18th triple-double of his postseason career.
Porter Jr. also turned in 27 points and 11 rebounds, just 1 point shy of tying his playoff career-high in scoring. He's recorded a double-double in two of his four playoff games this season.
LeBron James carried the Lakers with 30 points on 14-of-23 shooting. He helped the Lakers outscore the Nuggets 72-52 in points in the painted area. His running mate, Anthony Davis, tallied 25 points and an incredible 23 rebounds.
"I just didn't think we had the requisite physicality or urgency," said head coach Michael Malone. "This did not seem like a closeout game."
The Lakers came out with something to prove. They built a double-digit lead in the first half for the fourth straight game of the series. Davis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds at the break, and LeBron pitched in 14 points to give the Lakers a 61-48 lead.
Los Angeles carried that double-digit lead through much of the second half, but then the Nuggets made it a game by going on a 21-9 run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, and the Nuggets ran out of time.