The Denver Nuggets have taken a 3-0 lead in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers, and are one win away from sweeping them for a second consecutive season. They'll try to complete that task on Saturday night in Game 4, while the Lakers will hope to keep their season alive.
In all of the first three contests, the Lakers have jumped out to an early lead, only for the Nuggets to surge back into the game in the second half and eventually come away with the win. Will Game 4 follow a similar pattern? If it does, that would be a particularly frustrating way for the Lakers to bow out in the first round again.
Ahead of Game 4, here's everything you need to know:
Nuggets vs. Lakers Game 4
- Date: Saturday, April 27 | Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Crypto.com Arena -- Los Angeles, California
- TV channel: ABC | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Nuggets -3.5 | O/U 218.5
Storylines
Nuggets: The Nuggets' splits between the first and second half in this series are staggering. They have a minus-15.1 net rating in the first half, which is the second-worst of all playoff teams, and a plus-8.2 net rating in the second half, which is third among all playoff teams. They're going to win this series, but they won't be able to get away with that kind of hot and cold play against better competition. It would be nice to see them put together a full game.
Lakers: No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit, and the Lakers are not going to be the first. D'Angelo Russell was disengaged on the bench during Game 3 and LeBron James was talking about how "it's just basketball" at the end of the day. They seem to know that this series is over. If they couldn't win any of the first three games, what do they have to do to beat the Nuggets?
Prediction
The Nuggets have an opportunity to finish this series early and earn some extra rest ahead of what could be a grueling second-round series versus the Timberwolves. They won't pass up that chance. Pick: Nuggets -3.5
