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Los Angeles Lakers: AD hurt, LeBron James slows Denver! 4 Lessons!

Ronald Agers|
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 24: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes down holding his ankle after taking a shot during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 24, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 24: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers goes down holding his ankle after taking a shot during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 24, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
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Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

KCP and Rajon Rondo made timely plays while Kyle Kuzma has reverted back to his bad habits!

As stated before in this report, LeBron did not shoot well in this game. So it was up to some role players to knock down timely shots and make plays. Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Rajon Rondo continued their consistent play to keep the Nuggets at bay.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 

You know KCP had a good game if the Inside The NBA crew interviewed him after the game. Quietly, KCP is playing some really good basketball. KCP finished with a stat line of 13 points (5-12 shooting, 3-9 from distance), 2 rebounds with an assist, steal and block. 

He even dove baseline and told Jokic to smile for the poster while he dunked on him!

Right now KCP is shooting over 60% from the field and over 50% from the 3 point line. That dunk shows that his confidence is soaring. Remember this was the same guy that air-balled a lay-up trying the same move earlier this season.

Rajon Rondo:

In yet another example of advanced stats not telling the true story of a basketball game, all you have to do is bring up Rajon Rondo. If you go by the plus/minus, Rondo’s -9 (Team worst and the only player with a minus besides Alex Caruso!) would have you thinking he had a bad game. If you watched the game in crunch time, one would see that the Lakers wouldn’t have won without him.

Rondo finished with 11 points (4-7 shooting!) and dished out 7 important assists. They were important because it allowed LeBron to play off the ball and score easier and save some energy to slow Murray at the other end. 

He also passed Scottie Pippen for 8th place of the all-time playoff assists list!

Kyle Kuzma:

Up until this series, Kyle Kuzma was playing outstanding moving without the ball and competing on the defensive end. Well, his play did not transcend to this series. What is it about Michael Porter Jr. that has this guy obsessed to outplay him? 

Forget the 10 points. He’s not playing well. Defensive breakdowns and inefficient play cost the Lakers the lead. It wouldn’t have been so bad but Porter Jr. fakes him out of his socks with the same pump fake move.

Kuz is making this harder than it has to be, If he would just cut hard to the basket and keep moving, he would score 18-20 points easy. Why? Michael Porter Jr. can’t guard the statues in front of the Staples Center!

The Los Angeles Lakers can punch their ticket to the NBA Finals on Saturday. Now you can start counting the Nuggets 3-1 deficit references until then. One win away from their first trip to the NBA Finals since 2010 is an amazing feat considering this team was in chaos last season.

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