Thanks to LeBron James, the Lakers avoided elimination

Monday's game (game five) is the most important game of the season for us, and we understand that.

Anthony Davis added 25 points and 23rebounds, then D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves scored 21 points each. This was the seventh seed in the NBA's Western Conference's first win after suffering an 11-game losing streak to the defending champions, stretching back to December 2022.

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Matches with the same pattern and rhythm ultimately produced different results in the Lakers' favor. For the fourth time in this playoff match, the Lakers led by double digits before the Nuggets caught up late in the game. In the previous three matches, the game ended with a win for the Nuggets. However, this time the Lakers were able to maintain their lead even though Nikola Jokic and his friends tried hard to catch up.

For the first time, the Lakers did not collapse under pressure from the defending champions. The 39-year-old James scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, making six out of eight attempts. He is currently extending the Lakers' lifespan.

However, the Lakers' task will become even more difficult as the fifth game will take place in the Nuggets' home base. They cannot afford to lose the next match if they do not want to be eliminated.

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"Monday's match (the fifth game) is the most important match of the season for us, and we understand that," said James after the match.

Nuggets swept the Lakers in last season's Western Conference final. However, the Lakers responded to the 0-3 deficit this time with a brilliant game.

"We get a chance to play one more game, and if we win, come back and play one more time," Reaves said.

"The possibility does not always favor us. However, whenever we are still alive and given a chance to do something extraordinary, we are ready to face the challenge," he continued.

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Jokic was able to record a triple-double by scoring 33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. However, this effort was not enough for the Nuggets, who were always slow to get hot. They failed to dominate the Lakers at the end of the match as they showed in the previous three games.

The Lakers' lead of up to 19 points with about six minutes remaining in the game narrowed to 113-106, when Jokic scored three points with 1 minute 25 seconds left in the game. However, Reaves was able to score two points from a jumper and added four points from free throws in the final minute.

Nuggets finally had to surrender this time after failing to bounce back from a slow start. "Of course we wanted to start quickly, but I learned that in horse racing, it's not about how you start, but how you finish," said Jokic.

This Center from Serbia also hopes that they will play better in the next match. ”We didn't finish well today, so hopefully we will be better,” added Jokic.

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Michael Porter Jr. added 27 points and 11reboundsfor the Nuggets, Jamal Murray scored 22 points and missed four three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Aaron Gordon was only able to score 7 points after recording 29 points in the third game.

According to Nuggets Coach Michael Malone, the problem with his team this time is not about the effectiveness of their attack, but rather their defense. "Defense is like a clown," said Malone.

The West Region's second flagship, the Nuggets, also lost in the fourth game after being up 3-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. However, they won the fifth game and then only suffered three losses on their journey to become the NBA champions for the first time in history. (AP)