Saturday night’s Game 4 in Crypto.com Arena saw several Denver Nuggets players shoot around in flip-flops. It is easy to see it as a disrespect for the 3-0 lead they had against the Los Angeles Lakers. However, it was because of a logistical delay in players’ shoes arriving at the locker room. So, when the Lakers put a stop at Denver’s 11-game dominance, head coach Mike Malone was asked if it had something to do with the flip-flops preventing players from being ready for the game.

While Malone acknowledged the unusual occurrence of the instance, he said, “But I’m not an excuse guy“. Moreover, he then summarized the lopsidedness of the game, all while restricting from giving out any details he plans to discuss with his players. “I’m not gonna point to the reason we got our butts kicked in the paint because the shoes weren’t here,” citing it as a “reach.”

This is Malone’s first playoff loss to the Lakers in recent history. Behind that, he knows that a single game loss is far from something that would break the spirits of his team. Moreover, from everything that has ensued within the 2023-24 series, Nuggets has the chemistry and team-bond that Lakers’ lack.

With that, from what others see as a tough road loss that could potentially carve out a Lakers’ surge, the championship head coach claims to find a silver lining.

Mike Malone has Nuggets in 5

Undeterred with everything that culminated in a Game 4 loss, Malone hopes to sting the Lakers and make them travel back home with a heavy head. After his comments on the logistical delay, Malone said, “the good thing about this [loss] is, we get a chance to go back home and try to get back to playing our brand of basketball and an opportunity to close it out in front of our fans.” With that storyline, Malone might anticipate the Lakers’ recent win to dissolve like a grain of salt in a river.

However, despite Malone’s comments, his team looked tired through the recent game. Like every other game in the series, Nuggets followed the script of playing tired and keeping up with the Lakers. However, this time around, Lakers utilized the breathing room and dominated the paint. As Anthony Davis posted 25 points and a game-high 23 rebounds, Lakers bullied the Nuggets for 24 first quarter points in the paint.

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The Lakers led 61-48 at halftime. However, it was similar to the three previous games ending in a Denver takeover. Nevertheless, the Lakers did not give up the lead this time. Despite Nikola Jokic‘s triple-double (33 points, 14 assists, 14 rebounds), they continued to dominate near the basket, posting a 72-52 edge.

The teams will now meet for a Game 5 in Denver, scheduled for Monday night. Nuggets will have a chance to advance to the second round to potentially meet the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the other hand, the Lakers could spark a historic run, pitting them as the only team to come back from a 0-3 run deficit.