The Lakers lost Game 4 against the Nuggets because Denver was able to come back in the third quarter after the LA struggled on the offensive end.
The Lakers dropped Game 4, 113-111, to the Denver Nuggets to send them home for the summer.
LeBron James played all 48 minutes and, despite missing two late game shots to tie the game, the King ended up with 40 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor. While he had help in this series from other players, he was lacking offensive support from the rest of his teammates.
The Lakers created a lead in the first half but were horrid on the offensive end after halftime. The Nuggets caught up to LA in the third quarter, making the fourth heavily interesting.
Los Angeles struggled to contain the Nuggets three-point range in the fourth quarter which made a comeback unlikely. Still, the Lakers were able to keep this close.
They had two chances to win the game late. James missed a fadeaway shot followed by a missed contested layup on the next offensive possession.
3 reasons the Lakers lost Game 4 to the Nuggets
Poor offensive team performance for LA in third quarter
LA was unable to get anything going in the third quarter of this game on the offensive end. They did not make a single shot from three in the third quarter and only one made shot at the rim.
This is where Anthony Davis’ lack of impact really came out and lost the game for the Lakers.
The Lakers were caught in a dogfight in the fourth quarter due to the fact that they couldn’t score anything in the third quarter. Denver outscored LA by 20 points.
The ball did not go into James’ hands enough during the third quarte.
Anthony Davis’ horrible performance
Davis ended up getting bailed out from free throws but his shooting stats show how poor of a game that he had.
The All-NBA player shot a horrible 40 percent from the floor. He was a little better in the fourth quarter but he really did not produce on the offensive end.
Late in the game, he fouled Jamal Murray for three shots due to a late switch defending a pick-and-roll. The game was tied at that point and this foul allowed the Nuggets to take a three-point lead.
Davis had a really up-and-down postseason that ended up with two horrible performances in the series which was one of the main reasons the Lakers are being sent home.
Inability to contain Nikola Jokic
In this game, it seemed like Jokic was able to do whatever he wanted. Davis couldn’t do much besides blocking a Jokic shot in the fourth quarter. Rui Hachimura struggled also while defending Jokic. This whole series, Jokic was able to get whatever he wanted.
Yes, Jokic was destined to get his, but the Lakers had no way of containing the two-time MVP in this series.
Jokic finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists. He ended up being the series MVP as he heads to his first NBA Finals. The Nuggets’ next game is in nine days and Jokic will be four wins away from his first title.
The Lakers are heading home after a 4-0 sweep that no one really expected. Yes, Denver winning this series was about a 50-50 possibility. Still, the fact that this series went only four games is quite shocking. LA will need to look into replacing D’Angelo Russell with a more offensively consistent guard in the playoffs and will hear Anthony Davis trade rumors for the entirety of the offseason.
The Nuggets will be heading to the Finals for the first time in team history. This is an amazing moment for the franchise and will allow them to possibly win their first title as a home-grown team with their core three pieces coming from their own draft picks.