LeBron James was infuriated by a miscalled out-of-bounds play that Darvin Ham could have challenged.
The Los Angeles Lakers engaged the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their crucial Western Conference quarterfinal matchup. The Lakers put on a dominating performance under the leadership of LeBron James; however, things did not go smoothly toward the end of the game. James appeared to get upset at head coach Darvin Ham after he failed to challenge an official’s call.
LeBron James goes scorched earth near Lakers bench after miscall
Los Angeles was on defense nine minutes into the fourth quarter when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drove toward the paint. LeBron James met Caldwell-Pope before he was able to penetrate, and the Nuggets star fumbled the ball out of bounds. However, the officials ruled that James was the last one to touch the ball.
As a result, James got upset about the play and appeared to want Darvin Ham to challenge:
LeBron James was IRATE that Darvin Ham didn’t challenge this out of bounds call 😳
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 28, 2024
A replay seemed to show that Caldwell-Pope was indeed the last player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds. Therefore, James’ frustration is understandable:
The slow-mo replay confirms that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was indeed the last player touch the ball, not LeBron James 😬pic.twitter.com/IbEe24z9Ha https://t.co/yyeOWEQgmV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 28, 2024
Despite the mishap, James and the Lakers continued their offensive assault on the Nuggets and came away with a 117-108 win. James ended the heated matchup with a team-high 30 points along with five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block. The 39-year-old showed up when LA needed him the most, and he was not alone.
Anthony Davis put on a commanding 25-point-24-rebound performance. The star big man is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and it comes at the right time. Davis’ efforts were aided by D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, who each scored 21 points a piece.
Los Angeles lives to fight another day after being down 3-0 in the series. They avoided a clean sweep and will get the chance to get the matchup to 3-2. Nevertheless, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets do not want LA to linger around.
Jokic amassed a triple-double on Saturday night, tallying 33 points, 14 assists, and 14 rebounds. However, it was not enough to get Denver over the hump. He and his teammates will be sure to return strong in Game 5 in hopes of a ticket to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
LeBron James and company will do all they can to prevent that from happening though. Can the Lakers keep surviving and advance?
