After walking away as winners in Games 1 and 2, many experts and analysts were wondering if the Los Angeles Lakers were going to sweep the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. LeBron James and Anthony Davis appeared to be too much to handle. Thanks to a historic triple-double effort from Jimmy Butler in Game 3, however, Miami is now just one game back in the series.

In this piece, we'll make five bold predictions for Wednesday night's pivotal Game 4 matchup. As most fans know, only one team has come back from the depths of a 3-1 deficit in the Finals: the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Miami doesn't want to fall into such a hole, but Los Angeles is hoping to put them there.

Initiative

For our first prediction, we're going with initiative. The Lakers got off to a shoddy start in Game 3, turning the ball over multiple times in the first quarter and failing to hit open looks. In fact, Los Angeles fell behind by 12 points in the opening frame. As a result, the team played catchup for the rest of the game. In the end, Miami's starters outscored the Lakers' starting five, 89-51.

For this reason, we look for the Lakers to come out of the gate strong in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Los Angeles puts up 30 in the first quarter.

The Brow bounces back

NBA Finals, Lakers, LeBron James, Anthony Davis

As previously mentioned, several Lakers struggled to find a rhythm in Game 3. Anthony Davis can be counted among this group, as he finished with an uncharacteristic stat sheet.

In 33 minutes of playing time, The Brow scored just 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from beyond the arc) to go with five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Making things a bit worse was the fact that Davis finished with a plus/minus score of -26.

Our take: Some analysts noted that Davis was outplayed by Heat forward Kelly Olynyk in Game 3. We look for AD to take this slight to heart by posting a 40-point effort in Wednesday's matchup.

Heightened security

In total, the Lakers committed 19 turnovers in Game 3. LeBron James and Anthony Davis accounted for 13 giveaways on their own. The Heat, on the other hand, had just 12 as a team. And while playing from behind, the Lakers were forced to shoot a ton of threes, making 14 of a whopping 42 attempts.

Our take: The Lakers will limit their turnovers to 15 or less in Game 4.

Ballin' Butler

Butler was a monster in Game 3. The former Marquette Golden Eagle finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in 45 minutes of action. He also had 14 attempts at the free-throw line, of which he made 12. Notably, he is now the only player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double in a Finals win.

The Heat will need more of the same from Butler in Game 4, and that is exactly what we're predicting. He may not break off another 40-piece, but with injuries threatening his team's roster, he knows it time to elevate his level of play. He had the ball for 11.7 minutes Game 3, which was significantly more than his average time of possession (5.9 minutes) in these playoffs. Expect another big night for Jimmy Buckets.

Our take: Butler goes for another triple-double — this time a 30-point variant.

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Widen the gap

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Now is the time for Los Angeles to stomp their foot on the proverbial gas pedal. The Lakers have played well after losses in the playoffs, winning each of their ensuing matchups in this campaign. With another victory, they'll hold a 3-1 advantage, which would create an awfully steep hill to climb for the Heat. If it goes the other way, though, the series will be tied at two games apiece, and Miami will hold all of the momentum.

LeBron James, who won his first two titles in Miami, knows it won't be easy to slow down Erik Spoelstra's Heat. Still, The King believes his team can play better:

“I know how resilient that bunch is and how resilient that coaching staff is and their franchise,” James said after Game 3, via ESPN. “Also, I don't feel like we're concerned. We're not concerned. We know we can play a lot better. We have another opportunity to take a commanding lead on Tuesday.”

Our take: LeBron scores 25 in a facilitating triple-double performance, and the Lakers take Game 4 in convincing fashion, 120-105.

Tuesday night's NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Heat is scheduled to tip inside the NBA's bubble complex at 9:00 p.m. ET, with ABC having live broadcast coverage.