By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Denver Nuggets just surpassed everyone’s expectations after completing the sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
Down by double digits heading into the second half of Western Conference Finals Game 4, the Nuggets flipped the switch in the last two quarters and responded like winners to grab the huge victory, 113-111, last May 23, 2023.
Despite getting himself in early foul trouble again with the game on the line, Nikola Jokic made it up with several big plays down the stretch including three of the most clutch Denver baskets.
With Denver clinging to a three-point lead in the last 3:38 of the game, Jokic delivered an on-point time to Aaron Gordon that ballooned their lead back to five points, 107-102.
As LeBron James responded with a big bucket to cut their deficit to just three points, Jokic silenced the whole Laker crowd after sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer off one leg to protect their lead and prevent any momentum swing,
With the game knotted at 111-all, Jokic took matters into his own hands and scored the last field goal of the game when he attacked Anthony Davis’ defense for an easy drive to the basket.
Los Angeles had two chances of equalizing the game but James’ two attempts in the last 30 seconds all missed, one fadeaway from the left corner and the potential game-tying drive in the last four seconds.
It was all Lakers in the first half as James suddenly went beast mode when he already dropped 31 points in the first 24 minutes of the ball game.
James’ unstoppable scoring streak then helped the Lakers take a 73-58 halftime lead and were looking to send an early punch when the third quarter started.
However, Jokic and the Nuggets had other plans and refused to back down in the hostile Laker building, outscoring Los Angeles 36-16 in the third to retake the lead.
Despite the Lakers keeping it close in the final frame, Denver just kept on coming and remained consistent with their scoring, their biggest key in clinching the Game 4 win.
Jokic dropped another triple-double performance in the closeout game and tallied 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Meanwhile, Jamal Murray backstopped Jokic with 25 points, five assists, and three rebounds while Gordon had his best scoring output of the Playoffs so far after chipping in 22 markers.
On the other hand, the Lakers got 40 points from James but was still not enough to contain the fluid Denver offense alongside 10 rebounds and nine assists.
Denver will finally have their much-needed rest and will be waiting for the winner between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
