Lakers Survive Elimination, Head Back to Denver with Series Tied

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers fought against the odds during their fourth encounter of this postseason showdown and avoided elimination on Saturday night, as they now head back to Denver for Game 5. LeBron James initiated proceedings by scoring the opening points before an energetic response from the home crowd filled the arena downtown LA. Despite fans’ demands at Thursday night’s matchup that Darvin Ham be dismissed, Lakers’ coach took questions with poise ahead of Saturday’s game and continued to provide words of encouragement. “You have to see it as half full,” said Ham before the encounter started. “Embrace the joy of competition; don’t struggle with stress or fear because you lose by just showing your best efforts.” Denver coach Michael Malone also noted ahead of Game 4 that his team had slow starts in this series, but they managed to make a comeback during those games after trailing at halftime. The Lakers began the second half strongly and ended it with an impressive lead as they won by a scoreline of 119-108 following Anthony Davis’ sensational performance alongside LeBron James who scored 30 points, while D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves contributed equally well to their team’s victory. The Lakers are currently down 3-1 in the series as they prepare for Game 5 at Ball Arena on Monday night.