After a long night of 11 games losing against the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally found a glimmer of light. LeBron James seemed to have saved his best performance of the series for when it mattered the most. Trailing 0-3 in the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, LeBron recorded his 121st 30-point game in the postseason to prevent the Lakers from getting swept. After leading the Purple & Gold to their first win of the playoff, James spoke about their approach for the remainder of the series and the significance of Game 5.
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LeBron James and Co. might be well aware that no team in the NBA has ever come back to win the series from a 0-3 deficit. However, giving up is not an option. Hence, the 6ft 9” forward revealed the mentality that the California side is approaching the remaining games with – one clash at a time.
“We’ve given ourselves another lifeline. It’s a one-game series for us,” James claimed.
Despite each game being a do-or-die situation for the California side, LBJ stressed that Game 5 would be the most important game of their 2023-2024 campaign, “Monday’s game is the most important game of the season for us, we know that. You lose, you’re done and you win, you keep going.”
A huge part of the reason for the 119-108 win was the ability of the Lakers to protect their lead entering halftime. During every one of the first three games, the Lakers had a seemingly comfortable lead. However, they couldn’t capitalize on their excellent performance over the first three quarters and blew the lead by the fourth quarter. This time, LBJ and AD made sure to finish the job till the end.
AD-LeBron James duo once again came up big for the team
Yet again, LeBron James and Anthony Davis had great performances with 55 combined points. The All-Star duo was also fortunate enough to receive excellent support from Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, recording 21 points each to snap the Nuggets’ 11-game win streak against them.
Game 5 of the series is indeed more important for the Lakers than Game 6 or 7. Going up against the Nuggets at Denver, there is a huge possibility that Nikola Jokic and Co. wrap up the series at Colorado. However, if the Lakers manage to clinch a win on the road, they will have home support for Game 6. Further, if the series is tied at 3 games apiece, Michael Malone’s boys will face all the pressure in Game 7.
