The Lakers showed some life in Game 4, avoiding the sweep and extending the series for a little while longer. After a pitiful Game 3 showing, D’Angelo Russell dropped 21 points, and four Lakers starters scored in double figures in the win. The Lakers built up a 19-point lead against Denver, and after watching big leads vanish in the previous three games, they managed to hold onto this one. The Nuggets didn’t play particularly bad. L.A. just played better, and now it sets up a Game 5 in Denver on Monday night.
Ahead of Game 5, here’s everything you need to know:
Nuggets vs. Lakers Game 5
Date: Monday, April 29 | Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Ball Arena — Denver
TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
Odds: Nuggets -7 | O/U 216.5
Storylines
Nuggets: The Nuggets allowed the Lakers to gain a +20 advantage in points in the paint, a staggering number that was a key to L.A.’s win. They allowed Anthony Davis and LeBron James to get whatever they wanted in the paint, and that can’t happen again if Denver wants to end this series Monday night and start focusing on a second-round matchup against the Timberwolves.
Lakers: The Game 3 win was a nice proof of life for the Lakers, who watched so many leads evaporate in this series. But Denver will surely come out in Game 4 with their minds on ending this as soon as possible. The Lakers need to replicate their performance from Game 3: dominating the paint points, defending out on the perimeter and hoping Russell’s production wasn’t a flash in the pan.
Prediction
The Nuggets are likely still thinking about how they should’ve swept the Lakers, and now that the Timberwolves are waiting for them in the second round, they’ll probably want to be extra motivated to end this as quickly as possible. Pick: Nuggets -7