At the end of Game 4, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone was a bit frustrated with some no-calls on Jamal Murray. He spoke his mind in the post-game presser.
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With LeBron James and the Lakers approaching the NBA to get more free throw calls, Mike Malone’s post-game presser was spicy, as ‘The King’ went to the free-throw line 14 times.
The Nuggets kept themselves within touching distance of the Lakers throughout the second half of Game 4, but they never really threatened to take a lead.
They finished the 4th quarter shooting poorly from the field, and were unable to convert a single field goal attempt. The Lakers’ offensive rebounding also killed them all through the game.
Mike Malone slams LeBron and Lakers for using influence with NBA
There were a couple of occasions in the 4th quarter when LeBron James got away with making contact on Jamal Murray’s shooting hand on his drives.
The referees either seemed to miss them, or were giving LeBron James the superstar treatment and allowing him to get away with more.
After the complaint from Lakers, LeBron James went to the charity stripe 14 times today, something that was certain to irk the Nuggets.
Mike Malone was quick to take a dig at Lakers, by confirming that the Nuggets too would be approaching the NBA for more free-throws now.
Also Read: Lakers approach NBA for lack of free throws for LeBron James
Nuggets coach Mike Malone: “I’m going to have to go through the proper channels like they did to get some more free throws.”
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 25, 2020
There is little doubt that those 4 free throws had the potential to swing the outcome the Nuggets’ way. A couple of fouls on LeBron might also have led to Frank Vogel taking him off Jamal Murray duty and entrusting it to Danny Green.
The Lakers came through clutch down the stretch, to their credit. LeBron continued to be aggressive in driving the ball to the paint. They did not show the signs of fatigue that were evident in the final period of Game 4.
Although Dwight Howard did not play a single minute in the 4th quarter, their dominance of the offensive glass solidified their lead and gave them control over the outcome of the game.
