Again winner of the Lakers (113-111), this Monday in Los Angeles in game 4, despite a huge LeBron James, author of 40 points, Denver, again worn by Nikola Jokic (30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists) , ejects the Californians on a sweep (4-0) and will play his very first finals.
LeBron James was not enough. No more the stratospheric match of the “King”, author of 40 points (15 out of 25 on shots including 4 out of 7 three-pointers, as well as 10 rebounds and 9 assists) and who signed his two new records in the play-offs, both in the first quarter (21 points scored) and in the first half, which he had finished with 31 points on his counter, as this last action, which could have allowed the Lakers superstar, on this ultimate possession, to restore hope to his team in the series. It was therefore Denver who won again (113-111) in this Western Conference final, sweeping the Californians (4-0), while validating their qualification on the floor of the Crypto.com Arena. , and will play from next Friday, June 2 against Miami or Boston (the Heat is on track to sweep the Celtics there too) the very first finals in its history. The evening had however started badly for these intractable Nuggets since the beginning of the series. In the wake of a James determined to put a little spice in this final in the West, the Lakers indeed achieved an almost perfect first half (73-58) which suggested that Denver would have a lot of trouble to make up this delay of fifteen lengths, and more difficult still to reverse the situation.
Jokic named Conference Finals MVP
It was bad to know the two locomotives of the Nuggets: Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The two men gave the warm-up blue (30 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists for the first, 25 points for the second) and allowed Mike Malone’s players, certainly well helped by the violent drop in opposing speed (36-16 for Denver in the third quarter), to get back up to par. At 111-111, the shot was nevertheless still playable for the Lakers, paradoxically abandoned in the money time by a “King” James who missed the target twice before being countered on the last action, while Jokic, logically elected MVP of the Conference finals (he signed his eighth triple-double on Monday since the start of the play-offs), did not tremble at throws. Denver had never eliminated the Lakers, nor swept any team, just as the Nuggets had therefore never found themselves in the finals. Firsts which may call for another, even more prestigious, in a few weeks.
