Lakers overcome third quarter woes to finally beat Nuggets in Game 4

The Lakers finally beat the Nuggets in Game 4 thanks to a strong third-quarter performance, snapping an 11-game losing streak and avoiding a second straight sweep to Denver.

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers' playoff mantra this year is "Takes Everybody." But so far this postseason, only LeBron James and Anthony Davis have consistently stepped up and played up to par against the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

What’s been so frustrating about losses to Denver in this first round series is the Lakers have largely dominated in all three games. The Lakers have led for 129:06 minutes and have outscored Denver by 35 points in the first half entering Saturday’s game and they had no wins to show for it.

Instead, they were facing elimination at home and found themselves in a similar situation heading into halftime, leading by double digits. Usually, Denver flips the script on Los Angeles in the third quarter, either taking control of the game as they did in Game 1 and Game 3 or cutting down the lead significantly as they did in Game 2.

However, staring at a potential sweep at the hands of Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets yet again, the Lakers finally pushed back. Los Angeles kept up with Denver, exchanging baskets during the first four minutes of the third frame.

When the Nuggets chipped away at the 15-point deficit and got to within eight with 2:54 left in that third period, the Lakers didn't cave or fall apart. Instead, they continued stacking up points.

Taurean Prince hit a 3-pointer, his sole basket from deep, but a crucial one. Davis kept hitting free throws and layups and D'Angelo Russell hit a pull-up jumper to keep the Lakers lead in the double figure heading into the fourth.

"I think we just, it's been a point of emphasis for a reason and going into the third quarter, it was 'Win the third quarter,'“ Reaves said postgame. "Obviously, we didn't do that, but them beating us by two in the third, we're still up by 11 or 12 or whatever it was. Overall, it was a good third quarter."

It may seem obvious to come out strong after a break in play, but the purple and gold have struggled with this all season.

“It’s been something that’s been an Achilles heel for us all season, coming into the third quarter with energy understanding that teams are going to try to make that run when the second half happens,” LeBron James said postgame. “We talked about it again tonight and we were able to fix it. It goes more than just talking about it, you have to go out there and be about it as well and we did that. It was very key to us getting the win tonight that we were able to stay at a good pace with them…We were able to still maintain that energy going into the fourth.”

D’Angelo Russell is a big reason the energy stayed up throughout the game. He was awful in Game 3, going 0-7 from the field and scoring zero points, but he responded in typical Russell fashion by scoring 21 points with eight of those coming in the third quarter and 14 in the second half.

“I think that was a third-quarter adjustment, for us to come out and prioritize getting a good warm-up, attacking them in the third, not being on our heels letting them attack us,” Russell said postgame. “Obviously, we’ve had leads to start the third. I just thought we, as a team, we locked in on the gameplan. We attacked during the start of that third and that was a result of us keeping that lead, staying at it. When we made subs, we still found a way to contribute what we were trying to do. There was no let-offs. It was huge.”

Add to that the Lakers' never-relenting defensive energy and you get a Denver team that struggled to score all night. Jamal Murray never got going, shooting 9-23. Aaron Gordon went from x-factor to non-factor, scoring just seven points. And the Nuggets bench shot 1-9 as a group.

The Nuggets shooting this poorly is unlikely to be replicated in Game 5 on Monday at Denver, but much of what went right for Los Angeles is. They can win the rebounding battle again and come out with the appropriate focus after halftime. For now, they're just happy to have another game to look forward to.

"We get another opportunity to go play one more game and if we win, we'll come back and play another one and keep moving from there," Reaves said postgame. "Obviously, I wish we won 4-0. Odds aren't stacked in our favor but anytime we can keep ourselves floating above water, we have an opportunity to go do something special and we're ready for the challenge."

Teams down 0-3 in an NBA series are currently 0-151. During one of the timeout breaks inside Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers played some video footage of this kind of comeback happening in other sports.

They showed the Boston Red Sox coming back in 2004 against the rival New York Yankees and the L.A. Kings coming back in 2014 against the San Jose Sharks to not only win that series but ultimately the Stanley Cup. The footage ended with the word "Why not us" highlighted.

So that's the question: Why not the Lakers? They've given you plenty of reasons not to believe not only this season but also from their past 11 matchups against Denver.

In Game 4, they gave you a reason why: they won the rebounding battle, kept it close in the third and most importantly, won the game. They are still alive and until they lose all four, the Lakers still have a shot.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.