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“Still Down 3-1”: LeBron James Claims Lakers Haven’t Solved a Piece of Nuggets Puzzle Despite Game 4 Win

Published 04/27/2024, 11:13 PM EDT

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The Los Angeles Lakers have finally broken the curse! On the verge of having their season end with yet another sweep, LeBron James’ squad responded brilliantly in Game 4 tonight, and beat the Nuggets 119-108. With that, they also snapped their dreaded eleven game losing streak against the defending Champions. But understanding that the job is far from over, King James disregarded the notion of the Lakers finally solving the piece of the Nuggets’ puzzle, despite tonight’s win.

After scoring thirty points to save the Lakers from elimination and extending his 21 NBA season a little longer, LeBron addressed the idea of finally figuring out how to beat the Nuggets, “No, coz we’re still down 3-1.” Yes, the Lakers somehow managed to beat the Nuggets tonight. But now, they will head back to the Mile High City for Game 5, facing elimination yet again in enemy territory.

Knowing what’s at stake, LeBron knew the Lakers need to keep the same energy on Monday, “We took care of business tonight, but we gotta be even better in the next game.” Unlike the first three games, the Lakers did a great job to maintain their lead in the third quarter. Never trailing for the entire game, the Lakers constantly kept their foot on the pedal, and dominated wire to wire. Moreover, they were able to restrict Aaron Gordon to only seven points, which is amazing compared to his 29-point double-double performance in Game 3.

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USA Today via Reuters

However, playing in front his home crowd, Gordon is likely to have a bounce-back game on Monday. And LeBron’s squad needs to avoid that at all costs. Already worried about The Joker and Murray, they cannot let Gordon catch fire again.

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LeBron James reflects on his clutch Game 4 performance

With his back against the wall, LeBron responded under pressure once again, scoring 30 points in Game 4. Adding more accolades to his already stacked resume, tonight was his career’s 19 thirty-point game when facing elimination. Taking charges at the age of 39, making clutch steals for a transition dunk, and flying high for alley-oop slams in the fourth quarter, LeBron proved why he is still one of the best players in the league. In the fourth quarter alone, James had fourteen points.

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“I love the fourth quarter, understanding that it’s closeout time.” James said after the game. Reflecting on how the Lakers choked three times in the previous games during crunch time, LeBron knew he needed to show out tonight to avoid humiliation, “Tonight, I had the opportunity to do that, and I wanted to deliver to our team.”

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No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the history of NBA playoffs. But LeBron hopes to change history, yet again, like he did in 2016 when he won the NBA Finals coming back from 3-1. With his season on the line again on Monday, he hopes to get another win against Denver and do the unthinkable.

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Written by:

Rohan Bhaunt

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Rohan Singh Bhaunt, an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, boasts a background as a divisional basketball player and an NBA enthusiast spanning over a decade. His extensive knowledge of the sport enables him to intricately explore its nuances, presenting a fresh outlook. Rohan's dive into the NBA newsdesk at ES commenced with witnessing LeBron James secure his inaugural championship in Miami.
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Edited by:

Caroline Joseph