LeBron James‘ former rival Paul Piece rained on the Los Angeles Lakers‘ parade after their wire-to-wire 119-108 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Game 4 on Saturday, April 27, to stay alive.
“Pride game [for] the Lakes [but] this [is] over in 5,” Pierce posted on X, formerly Twitter after James led the Lakers to the decisive victory.
Pierce, a Boston Celtics icon, who battled James and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the East during his prime, then quickly added on X: “Good news is Lakes win. Bad news [is] they gotta fly to Denver to end [the] series.”
The Lakers have not won in Denver since a 126-108 rout on December 16, 2022. The Nuggets are 33-8 in the Ball Arena this season, tied for the second-best home record in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But James and the Lakers have the momentum on their side after finally snapping the Nuggets’ 11-win streak over them.
For the fourth straight game, the Lakers led by double digits. But this time, the Lakers did not succumb to the pressure from the defending champions.
James made sure there will be no Nuggets comeback as he scored 14 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. He added five and four assists to mitigate his game-high 6 turnovers.
“We’ve given ourselves another lifeline, and it’s a one-game series for us,” James told reporters after the win. “Monday’s game is the most important game of the season for us, and we understand that.”
Anthony Davis Delivers Monster Game
It was not all LeBron show.
Anthony Davis had a monster night with 25 points and 23 rebounds with 6 assists and 1 shot block.
A highly motivated Davis shot 11 of 17 from the field. He was 8 of 13 against Nikola Jokic, who finished with another triple-double (33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists), per NBA matchup tracker.
“It’s tough to get swept,” Davis told reporters. “Nobody wants that feeling, especially going to the summer. You’ve got to live with that feeling for the rest of the summer. So we didn’t really talk about it. We know what’s at stake. Nobody wants that feeling in your mouth for the rest of the summer. The way we played tonight is the way we have to play the rest of the series.”
Lakers Stars Draw Solid Support
James and Davis continued leading the way for the Lakers but they finally mustered enough support from their role players.
D’Angelo Russell bounced back from his scoreless performance in Game 3 with 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Lakers coach Darvin Ham stuck with him this time unlike last year’s Western Conference Finals when he yanked him off the starting five in Game 4 following his struggles.
When asked about Ham’s belief in Russell, the Lakers point guard was dismissive.
“I believe in myself simple as that more than anybody,” Russell told reporters. “So, I don’t need that, but I appreciate that.”
His backcourt partner, Austin Reaves, also pitched in 21 points and 6 assists.
The Lakers bench finally outscored the Nuggets 13-5.
“We get another opportunity to go play one more game, and if we win, come back and play another one and keep moving from there,” Reaves told reporters. “Odds aren’t stacked in our favor, but anytime we can keep ourselves floating above water and give ourselves an opportunity to do something special, we’re up for the challenge.”
