The Denver Nuggets struggled to Saturday night and ultimately lost 119-108 to the Los Angeles Lakers, who avoided elimination and a sweep in Game 4.
The Lakers played with moderate desperation but weren’t playing perfectly, and the Nuggets had a clear opportunity to take Game 4 in the fourth quarter if they executed better. Unfortunately, the Nuggets missed enough shots and had some turnovers that led to easy Lakers points. They also didn’t get enough stops in the fourth, allowing 28 points.
Nikola Jokic led the way for both teams with a tremendous line of 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. He had his hand in everything tonight and completed multiple And-1’s in the fourth quarter to try and get the Nuggets back into the game. He did miss some bunnies that he usually makes, but he still shot 10-of-20 from the field, 2-of-5 from three, and a sterling 11-of-11 from the line in his 40 minutes. It was an impressive night offensively from Jokic, but not a great game defensively. The Nuggets gave up over 70 points in the paint, and while Jokic certainly wasn’t all of that, he did struggle protecting the rim.
Michael Porter Jr. was Denver’s second leading scorer with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Porter also shot 10-of-20 from the field and went 4-of-11 from three. He had to take some desperation threes at the end but was mostly consistent as a scorer and rebounder. He also struggled defensively, but his offensive game was about as solid as one could ask for. Porter was a +4 in his 40 minutes tonight, the only Nugget that was a positive in an 11-point loss.
Stories will be told about Michael Porter Jr.
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) April 28, 2024
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shotmaking was impressive and he had 14 points, three assists, and four steals tonight. Aaron Gordon wasn’t nearly as involved in tonight’s game plan, and that was probably a mistake. Gordon had just three rebounds in 41 minutes and staggered at center in the minutes Jokic didn’t play.
Off the bench, the Nuggets scored just five points on 1-of-9 from the field, a Justin Holiday three-pointer. Peyton Watson and Christian Braun were uninvolved, and while their defense remains mostly great, the offensive pressure placed on Murray when those two and Aaron Gordon are on the floor might be too much for him to overcome.
The Lakers had four 20-point scorers tonight in Anthony Davis, LeBron James, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves. It was very reminiscent of Denver’s Game 3 performance from their top four scorers. LA finally put together an impressive stretch, mostly highlighted by their attacking of the paint. The Lakers took advantage of the opportunities Denver gave them tonight, and the Nuggets were fairly low energy for much of the game. There wasn’t a lot of desperation from Denver, and that probably sealed the deal for the Nuggets.
lebron and austin cooked jamal murray on back to back offensive possessions — are they finally realizing they should target him on d? pic.twitter.com/mis9vr2KKA
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) April 28, 2024
The Lakers finally got the monkey off their back, halting an 11-game losing streak to the Nuggets. They will now head back to Denver for Game 5. The Lakers will play harder in Denver in all likelihood, which puts more pressure on the Nuggets to close out this series. Denver doesn’t want to have to go back on the road again.
Frankly, it’s time for Murray to play better. Through four games, he has a True Shooting of 44.0%, which is 14% lower than his season average. The injuries look like they’re taking a toll on his burst and athleticism, and it will be interesting to see if he can find his three-point shot. Through four games, he’s 5-of-24 from three (20.8%) and that’s crowding the paint even more for Denver’s interior scoring. Murray must continue to look for his outside shot, because even if the Nuggets get past the Lakers, they will not get past the Minnesota Timberwolves (who are up 3-0 on the Phoenix Suns) with Murray shooting this way.
Game 4 was about the Nuggets messing around. Game 5 must be about the Nuggets locking in and playing better.
Final Rotations
