Lakers One Game From Finals After Game 4 Victory Over Nuggets

The Los Angeles Lakers are a victory away from returning to the NBA Finals after a 114-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the early hours of Friday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals.

Anthony Davis scored 34 points, LeBron James had 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Lakers had 12 offensive rebounds for a whopping 25-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Game 5 is Saturday night, when the Lakers can reach the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade.

The Nuggets will be facing elimination for the seventh time in the bubble. They were down 3-1 against Utah in the first round and climbed out of the same hole against the Los Angeles Clippers in the West semifinals.

But they couldn’t come back in this game, getting within one point in the opening minute of the fourth quarter but constantly turned back from there by a key stop or rebound by the Lakers.

The Lakers have 16 championships, one behind Boston for the most in NBA history, but they haven’t played for one since winning their most recent title in 2010.

Jamal Murray had 32 points and eight assists, but Nikola Jokic finished with just 16 points and seven rebounds.