Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 5 Preview (LA Leads 3-1)

Quick-Hitters

• The Los Angeles Lakers will look to deal the final blow to the Denver Nuggets and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals Saturday evening after taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals. They defeated the Nuggets 114-108 on Thursday.

• The Lakers have been riding the Herculean efforts of their star big man, Anthony Davis, as well as the elite playmaking and high basketball IQ of LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. Center Dwight Howard has also asserted his will inside the paint throughout the series and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has shown his worth on the perimeter.

• Denver has made history by coming back from two-consecutive 3-1 series deficits to win and advance. It would take a superhuman performance from Nuggets point guard and postseason hero, Jamal Murray, to complete another comeback. It would also require better team rebounding, outside shooting, and interior defense. Star center Nikola Jokic will need to step up.

• Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nuggets are +1600 to come back and win the series.

• Los Angeles (-245) is favored over Denver (+195) with the over/under set at 214.5 total points. The Lakers are 6-point favorites. CLICK FOR LIVE GAME ODDS!

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Game 4 Thrills

Even if the Denver Nuggets fall short against the Los Angeles Lakers, they can't possibly be disappointed in what has come from the 2020 NBA Playoffs. They've grown by leaps and bounds as a team, and they have witnessed the emergence of a superstar in point guard Jamal Murray.

The 23-year-old phenom has turned heads with numerous performances of 30 points or more, including 32 points to go with eight assists in the loss Thursday. He had the highlight of the series in Game 4 as well, as he glided past LeBron James in an MJ-like up-and-under reverse layup that you simply have to see to believe.

LeBron and Anthony Davis (and their supporting cast) once again had the last laugh. The greatest player in basketball is still King James, as he has clearly demonstrated throughout the 2020 playoffs. He has rarely led the Lakers in points scored, but he remains the discernible leader of their offense. He continues to dish the ball effortlessly while creating off the dribble and controlling the tempo. James finished with 26 points and nine rebounds, but he’s probably most proud of his eight assists, many of which went to his partner-in-crime, AD.

After a rough Game 3, Davis once again returned to being an unstoppable force on Thursday. The veteran big man put up 34 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals, and simply couldn't be stopped by the likes of Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, and Mason Plumlee. James' playmaking and Davis' dominance on both ends of the floor have really been the difference in the series.

Los Angeles' stars have rubbed off on the role players, too. Dwight Howard paid immediate dividends when coach Frank Vogel inserted the veteran center and eight-time All-Star into the starting lineup. Howard channeled his three Defensive Player of the Year seasons, bottling up Jokic and helping limit the Denver star to 16 points (6-of-13 shooting) and seven rebounds. Howard also dominated the interior and the glass, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 boards.

Then there was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who joined the fun with three treys and a couple strong drives on his way to 13 points. Veteran backup point guard Rajon Rondo contributed seven meaningful assists to go with his 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting. These guys have formed tremendous chemistry throughout the season, and the collective acumen of James, Davis, and Rondo has been unrivaled.

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Who's Laughing Now?

If James and Davis are Batman and Robin, then Murray must be the Riddler. Missing from the equation Thursday night was the Joker. Jokic just couldn't get anything going in Game 4, obviously jarred by the blitz-style defense deployed on him by Howard, Davis, and the Lakers.

Jokic means far too much to this Nuggets team to disappear in imperative games, so Denver coach Mike Malone will have to strategize a way for the Serbian center to get going Saturday. Murray can seemingly make the impossible possible, but he can’t do it all if the Nuggets expect to win. Relying on small bursts of offense here and there from Nuggets bench standouts Michael Porter Jr. (13 points and eight boards in Game 4) and Monte Morris (12 big points down the stretch) just won’t cut it. The Conference Finals are won by the stars, and Jokic has been made to look like anything but one in Denver’s losses.

The undersized Millsap and inexperienced Plumlee haven’t helped matters. Los Angeles dominated the interior all night and once again feasted on the offensive glass. The Lakers converted a 12-6 offensive board advantage to score 25 second-chance points, a staggering stat to see in a conference title game. Millsap now has a 1-11 career playoff record against James.

In Need Of Another Miracle

If Denver wants to stay alive, they'll have to execute better on offense and focus on the fundamentals defensively. It would make sense to give Porter more run in order to inject more rebounding and athleticism, as well as his three-point shooting. If Malone starts Porter, Morris, and defensive whiz Jerami Grant alongside Murray and Jokic, the Nuggets could get the spark they need to start hot against the Lakers in Game 5. If they once again start listlessly and get overmatched down low, it'll be over quickly.

Denver has already made history by erasing two 3-1 playoff series deficits and advancing, but they just don’t have the manpower to contain the size, strength, and acumen of the well-constructed Los Angeles squad. LeBron and AD are on a mission, and their focus seems laser-sharp since their Game 3 bump in the road.