Davis spurs Lakers to 3-1 lead over Nuggets
LA can clinch berth in NBA Finals on Saturday
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Los Angeles Lakers are a victory away from returning to the NBA Finals — and only another comeback from 3-1 down by the Denver Nuggets can stop them.
Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26 and the Lakers beat the Nuggets 114-108 on Thursday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.
Davis got the Lakers off to a fast start with his scoring and James helped them finish it with his defense, forcing Jamal Murray into some late misses after the guard had kept the Nuggets in it with an array of high-difficulty baskets.
James added nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds for a 25-6 advantage in secondchance points.
Game 5 is Saturday, when the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.
“We played great down the stretch, we played great overall,” Davis said. “Still some things that we can fix if we want to put this thing away.”
The Nuggets will be facing elimination for the seventh time in the bubble. They were down 3-1 against Utah in the first round and climbed out of the same hole against the Los Angeles Clippers in the
West semifinals.
But they couldn’t come back in this game, getting within one point in the opening minute of the fourth quarter but constantly turned back from there by a key stop or rebound by the Lakers.
The Lakers have 16 championships, one behind Boston for the most in NBA history, but they haven’t played for one since winning their most recent title in 2010.
The Lakers started Dwight Howard at center and he had 12 points and 11 rebounds, helping put Nikola Jokic into foul trouble.
Murray had 32 points and eight assists, but Jokic finished with just 16 points and seven rebounds.
HEAT-CELTICS: The volume of text messages that Miami guard Tyler Herro got after Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals was overwhelming. He didn’t have time to reply to most, including close friends who reached out to celebrate the best game of his life.
Among those who did get texts back from Herro: Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, a couple of players who know what it’s like to win an Eastern Conference title with the Heat.
“Shaq hit me up, D-Wade hit me up,” Herro said Thursday after scoring 37 points. “D-Wade, we’ve talked a couple times after playoff games. He says ‘good game’ and gives me some tips on what he’s seeing when he’s watching.”
Herro and the Heat seem to be putting those tips to good use. They’re one win from the NBA Finals, leading the Boston Celtics 3-1 in this East title series with Game 5 — the possible clincher — awaiting Friday night at Walt Disney World.
There was no celebratory tones at the optional Heat practice Thursday. They know how close the series has been, with perhaps the biggest proof being the composite score of the four games — Celtics 441, Heat 441.
KOBE AUCTION: Lakers legend Kobe Bryant scored 60 points against the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016, before declaring “Mamba out!” and calling it a career.
It was a special night in team history. And one fan can own a piece of it.
Before leaving the Staples Center floor for the final time as a player, Bryant autographed two portions of it — the parts decorated with the two jersey numbers he wore during his career, Nos. 8 and 24.
The signed No. 24 portion has been installed at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. The signed No. 8 portion is available to the highest bidder through Heritage Auctions. It’s made up of four panels, each measuring 4x8 feet.