The Denver Nuggets are one game away from the first trip to the NBA Finals in franchise history. After dispatching the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, the Nuggets now have a commanding 3-0 series lead and a chance on Monday to sweep the same team that knocked them out of this round three postseasons ago.
But doing so will be no easy task. The Lakers have lost just once on their home floor this postseason—to the Nuggets in Game 3—and still have a plus-105 point-differential in their home building. LeBron James and the Lakers won't go down without a fight. Here's how you can tune in as the Nuggets try to send them home for the summer.
Lakers at Nuggets - Game 4
- Date: Monday, May 22 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles
- TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Lakers -3.5; O/U 224.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Lakers: The Lakers have become almost entirely reliant on four players: James, Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. That group is responsible for just under 82% of all Laker points in this series, and no other Laker has reliably contributed on defense aside from Jarred Vanderbilt. If the Lakers are going to mount any sort of meaningful comeback effort, it starts with a couple of role players easing the pressure on this core.
Nuggets: Jamal Murray is averaging a scorching-hot 35 points per game in this series, and that raises an interesting question: could he beat out his more famous teammate, Nikola Jokic, for the Western Conference finals MVP trophy? It would be somewhat ironic given Jokic's standing as a two-time NBA MVP, and Jokic could easily grab the Finals MVP trophy next round in response, but it's nice to see a different Nugget thrive on the biggest stage.
Prediction
The Nuggets will eventually win this series. Teams that build a 3-0 lead have a 149-0 overall record in the postseason. But the Lakers won't make it easy for them. Expect the Lakers to win a hard-fought Game 4 and at least send this series back to Denver for one more game. The Pick: Lakers -3.5
