All the Los Angeles Lakers needed was to win one game to hopefully get their momentum back. They did in the fourth game of this NBA Playoffs series against the Denver Nuggets and retained that winning attitude to come back from being down three games to none. However, it looks like LeBron James and Darvin Ham might have some problems now that Anthony Davis got hit with a tough blow.
Michael Porter Jr. was below the rim while Anthony Davis was backing down. Then, the Nuggets forward swiped the Lakers big man's arm which resulted in him howling in pain. Darvin Ham and the rest of the staff have decided that he could stay in the game. So, it looks like LeBron James might still have some help in this NBA Playoffs clash.
So far, Anthony Davis has logged 24 minutes for the Lakers in the middle of the third quarter. He is leading the squad in both scoring and rebounding. The Brow has managed to get on an absolute heater. He is sinking eight out of his 10 field goal attempts for 16 points. If the injury does not bother him too much, he is also still on par for a double-double given that his eight rebounds at the moment.
Lakers' advantages so far
Darvin Ham's Lakers are also looking good in Game 5. Their coverages and efforts in blitzing the ball have netted them seven steals. This squad's effort in protecting the rim has also been astounding. They have met the Nuggets four times at the apex of their shots and blocked them every single time.
Not to mention, their strategy on offense has been impeccable. The Lakers are running it down the Nuggets' throats and heading for the paint. Not only does this make bigs like Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic work harder but it also gets them famished to run their sets on offense. Overall, the Lakers have netted 34 points in the paint with this point of attack.
The only point for improvement is that they knock down their shots from way out. This Nuggets squad is going to come back swinging and their outside strokes which are only going down 29.2% of the time are not going to cut it.