TENSION: Denver Nuggets head coach asked to leave with immediate effect.
After around 2 years of losing against the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have finally won one game against them. After the match, though, head coach Michael Malone slammed his team for allowing their opponents to exploit a major weakness of theirs.
In their most recent game of the series, the Lakers finally won one against Denver with a score of 119-108 . James turned back the clock for the umpteenth time by making 30 points on 60 percent shooting from the field, five rebounds, and four assists. Anthony Davis put on a monster performance by tallying 25 points and 23 rebounds. Meanwhile, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russel each had 21 points for the Purple and Gold.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, were led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic ‘s triple-double of 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists. Michael Porter notched 27 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 11 rebounds. Although he had an inefficient showing on the court, Jamal Murray still finished the game with 22 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
The win helped Los Angeles’ snap its 11-game losing streak against the Nuggets, a stretch that spanned almost two years. More importantly, though, the Lakers have prevented getting swept and still have a chance to extend the series to seven games.
Michael Malone Blasts Denver Nuggets’ Big Weakness in Game 4 Loss to Los Angeles Lakers
After the game, Malone spoke to reporters and gave his thoughts about how the Nuggets performed. In a tweet Daniel Starkand posted on X:
Michael Malone wasn’t happy with his team’s interior defense tonight: “The paint was a joke. Every huddle, I sounded like a broken record tonight. Every huddle was, ‘Paint, paint, paint.’ Game 3, they had 70 (points in the paint) and we found a way to win.
Tonight, they had 72. That’s an incredible number… I just didn’t think we had the requisite physicality or urgency. This did not seem like a closeout game,” Malone tweeted.
Apart from the lack of defensive intensity, Los Angeles also outrebounded Denver 46-40. Furthermore, their inability to protect the paint allowed James and the Lakers to exploit this weakness to win Game 4.
If the Nuggets want to take care of Los Angeles and move on to the next round, they need to find a way to adjust. Otherwise, James will replicate his 2016 feat against the Golden State Warriors and come back from a 3-1 deficit once again.
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