Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone argues with referee Zach Zarba during the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 119-108 win at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Of course, he knows that his Nuggets lead the Lakers 3-1 and can close out the first-round playoff series Monday night at Ball Arena. But he’s also acutely aware of statistical trends floating like icebergs, threatening Denver’s voyage toward a second straight NBA championship.
• Denver has trailed at halftime in all four games, getting outscored in the first half 233-198. The Lakers have held a double-digit lead in all four games. “There is no panic. We have a chance to go out and close it, but the challenge within that is that we can’t continue to play like this. The are not rolling over. They are not going to give us the first round. We are going to have to earn it and take it.”
Saturday night, NBA icon LeBron James set the tone at the very beginning, showing that the Lakers were going about their business with urgency. The Nuggets didn’t respond in kind. “We’ve given ourselves another lifeline, and it’s a one-game series for us. Monday’s game is the most important game of the season for us, and we understand that,” James said.