- James and the Lakers force a Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets on Monday
- Anthony Davis had a double-double in the game to help extend the series
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
LeBron James scored 30 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers stave off elimination with a 119-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
The Lakers came into the game facing a 3-0 deficit in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. James had never been on a team swept out of the postseason in the first round.
Los Angeles also avoided being swept in the playoffs by the Nuggets for the second straight season.
James has proven to still be one of the league’s premier players, even with turning 40 at the end of this calendar year.
While his Lakers still have to win the next three against Denver, one of the NBA’s best teams, James proved it can be done, while shooting 14-for-23 from the field.
LeBron James helped the Lakers survive elimination and force a Game 5 against the Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets will look to close out the series on Monday at home against the Lakers
Game 5 takes place on Monday in Denver, where the Nuggets will look to close out the series at home.
Anthony Davis had a phenomenal game for Los Angeles, finishing with a double-double of 25 points and 23 rebounds.
Rui Hachimura was the only Lakers starter to not score at least 20 points in the game.
Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell each finished the game with 21 points.
‘We get another opportunity to go play one more game, and if we win, come back and play another one and keep moving from there,’ Reaves said. ‘Odds aren’t stacked in our favor, but anytime we can keep ourselves floating above water and give ourselves an opportunity to do something special, we’re up for the challenge.’
Unsurprisingly, Nikola Jokic led all scorers with 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for his 18th career triple-double and second in this series.
The Nuggets supporting cast of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray scored 27 and 22 points respectively.
LeBron James’ season extended at least two more days with a stellar performance on Saturday
James is a four-time NBA champion, but has not won an NBA title in front of a live crowd since 2016.
His only title with the Lakers came during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, with the 2020 NBA playoffs taking place in a bubble.
With the victory, the Lakers snapped their 11-game losing streak against the defending NBA champions with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022.
‘We deserved this tonight,’ Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. ‘We’ve just got to bottle it up and keep pushing and understand it can be our time. Why not us? Every new game is a new opportunity to be more competitive and more together and more selfless.’
The Lakers have held a double-digit lead in each game of the series, blowing the first trio, but steadily holding on during Saturday’s victory.
