It wasn’t pretty, but the Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals.
The Lakers committed seven first-quarter turnovers, and LeBron James looked mortal in the opening half, but Anthony Davis anchored a defensive effort that kept the Miami Heat at bay throughout the second half, long enough for some timely fourth-quarter offense to secure a 102-96 victory on Tuesday.
“Between me and AD, we hold each other to a standard that no one else can hold us to,” James, looking every bit his 36 years, told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on the postgame broadcast. “He challenges me every night; I challenge him every night. It doesn’t matter if the ball is going in, we have to do things that help our team win on the defensive end and offensive end, and he did that tonight. He was spectacular.”
James finally came alive midway through the third quarter, scoring or assisting on 12 straight Lakers points, including a pair of three-pointers, that swung a two-point deficit into a six-point lead. They never trailed again. Miami battled back to tie the game at 83-83 with 6:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, but James responded with another seven straight points for the Lakers. The Heat got no closer than 90-88.
James finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, drawing within one win of his fourth NBA championship with a third different franchise. A potential close-out Game 5 is scheduled for Friday night.
“We understand what’s at stake,” added James. “The job is not done.”
Davis added 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists, but did his best work opposite Heat star Jimmy Butler, who dismantled the Lakers with a 40-point triple-double to draw the series to 2-1. Butler came within an assist of his second career playoff triple-double, but his 22 points on 17 shots were a far cry from the efficiency he generated on Sunday. No longer in foul trouble, Davis was a dominant force on the interior once again. The Heat scored 32 points in the paint on 30 shots after scoring 52 on 34 in Game 3.
The Lakers looked listless at the half, despite leading 49-47. James committed five turnovers in the opening two quarters. He and Davis combined for just 16 points on 15 shots entering the break, and the Heat swiped a 52-49 lead on a ridiculous Tyler Herro floater two minutes into the second half. Miami led for another minute, until James’ first three of the night gave the Lakers a 55-54 lead at the 8:18 mark of the third quarter. That opened the floodgates for the four-time MVP, and the Heat could not stem the tide.
James and Davis might be in a tied series, fingers pointed at both of them, if not for the L.A. non-stars. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 points, including five straight points that pushed the Lakers lead back to 95-88 with two minutes remaining. Miami’s Jae Crowder responded with a three, but Rajon Rondo’s lone two points of the night — a driving finger roll — pushed the Lakers lead back to six. The veteran point guard found Davis at the top of the key for a dagger three-pointer on the next possession.
Check back soon for more details.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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