任何篮球比赛都有一个简单而明显的事实：射门好的队通常获胜。
在西部决赛第四场比赛中，丹佛掘金队的投篮命中率为50.6%，其中28投10中3投3中（最终命中率为62%）。湖人队的投篮命中率为47.5%，30投10中，命中率为59.7%。掘金队周四晚上射门更好。
然而，更好的射击队在另一个关键区域被击溃，并不能获胜。
湖人在40.4%的投篮失误中抢到了进攻篮板，其中包括在关键时刻的三次关键得分，并且在丹佛有6次机会得分25秒。再加上进攻性强的勒布朗-詹姆斯和安东尼-戴维斯28次打进罚球线-丹佛全队有23次罚球尝试，勒布朗在穆雷身上防守出色，一支球队可以克服投篮不足。
结果湖人以114-108击败了一支恢复力很强的丹佛队，以3-1领先。第五场比赛是星期六晚上。
虽然掘金在爵士和快船的比赛中以3:1落后，但这个系列赛让人感觉不一样——丹佛可能已经没有奇迹了。湖人结束这场比赛的方式说明了为什么湖人不会像爵士和快船那样。
戴维斯再一次成为湖人场上最好的球员，15投10中得34分，加上强大的防守（他在本场比赛中的5个篮板数据太过夸张了，因为湖人队的篮板都很好）。
但是有两个关键的原因让湖人赢得了比赛，这两个关键的原因是他们能够在爵士和快船在相似的情况下阻碍丹佛的复出：
如前所述，湖人在进攻端占据优势。他们在10投4中得到了第二次机会（联盟平均有26-27%的失球变成了进攻篮板）。德怀特·霍华德做得早，戴维斯做得晚（加上拉琼·隆多有一个关键的机会），但是湖人队得到了第二次得分的机会，在比赛结束后的一段时间里跑掉了，改变了比赛。
勒布朗·詹姆斯在比赛的最后5分钟要求防守贾马尔·默里，默里在比赛的最后5分钟3投0中。
“勒布朗要求这项任务，显然我同意了。”湖人教练福格尔赛后说。“在布朗接下这项任务之前，没有什么能让他慢下来的。”
沃格尔不是在开玩笑。穆雷点燃了湖人，进入了禁区，并且找到了一个完成比赛的方法，包括季后赛迄今为止最好的上篮。
穆雷在20投12中拿下32分，但勒布朗在最后时刻控制住了他（穆雷确实投进了四个罚球）。
勒布朗在比赛中也表现出色，尽管他的跳投没有摔倒，因为他发现了不匹配，把丹佛的防守变成了一场拼抢，再加上勒布朗在手肘处或拦网时控制了一个双人组，这就打开了局面。
洛杉矶的另一个关键是德怀特·霍华德上半场表现出色，他在上半场拿下11分和10个篮板，同时把球挡在了乔基的手中。肯塔基·考德威尔·波普得了13分。
如果丹佛想要震惊世界，那就需要让米尔萨普和他的防守更多地站在场边，那么掘金需要加里·哈里斯和其他替补球员在关键时刻挺身而出。
原标题：
Second chance points, clutch LeBron defense earns Lakers win to go up 3-1 on Denver
原文：
It’s a simple and obvious truth about any basketball game: The team that shoots better usually wins.
The Denver Nuggets shot 50.6% in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, including 10-of-28 from three (leading to a true shooting percentage of 62%). The Lakers shot 47.5% overall and 10-of-30 from three (a true shooting percentage of 59.7%). The Nuggets shot better Thursday night.
However, the better shooting team does not win when it gets crushed in another key area.
The Lakers grabbed the offensive rebound on 40.4% of their missed shots â including at three critical possessions in crunch time â and scored 25 second-chance points to Denver having six. Combine that with an aggressive and attacking LeBron James and Anthony Davis getting to the free-throw line 28 times â Denver as a team had 23 free throw attempts â and LeBron playing fantastic defense down the stretch on Jamal Murray, and a team can overcome a shooting deficit.
The result was the Lakers holding off a resilient Denver team to win 114-108, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead. Game 5 is Saturday night.
While the Nuggets came back from 3-1 down on the Jazz and Clippers, this series feels different â Denver may have run out of miracles. The way the Lakers closed out this game showed why the Lakers will not go the ways of Jazz and Clippers.
Once again, Davis was the best Laker on the floor, scoring 34 points on 10-of-15 shooting plus playing strong defense (his light rebounding numbers, five in this game, are overblown because the Lakers as a team are rebounding well).
But there are two key reasons the won the Lakers the game â two critical reasons they were able to hold off a Denver comeback when the Jazz and Clippers faltered in similar situations:
⢠The Lakers were dominant on the offensive glass, as mentioned above. They got a second chance on four out of 10 missed shots (the league average is about 26-27% of missed shots become offensive rebounds). Dwight Howard was doing it early, Davis was doing it late (plus Rajon Rondo had a critical one), but the Lakers getting a second chance to score and run off some clock down the stretch changed the game.
⢠LeBron James asked to guard Jamal Murray down the stretch â in the final five minutes of the game Murray was 0-of-3 shooting.
“LeBron asked for the assignment and obviously I granted it⦔ Lakers’ coach Frank Vogel said postgame. “Nothing was really working in terms of trying to slow him down until ‘Bron took that assignment.”
Vogel isn’t kidding. Murray was torching the Lakers, getting into the lane, and finding a way to finish â including maybe the best layup of the playoffs so far.
Murray finished with 32 points on 12-of-20 shooting, but LeBron held him mostly in check down the stretch (Murray did hit four free throws).
LeBron also had a strong game despite his jumper not falling because he hunted mismatches, throwing the Denver defense into a scramble, plus LeBron commands a double team when he gets the ball at the elbow or on the block and that opens things up.
Another key for Los Angeles was a great first half from Dwight Howard, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half while keeping the ball out of Jokic’s hands. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 13 points.
If Denver is going to shock the world, it needs to keep Paul Millsap and his defense on the floor more, then the Nuggets need Gary Harris and other bench players to step up with big moments.
