The Denver Nuggets have swept the Los Angeles Lakers in Western Conference Finals and are through to the NBA Finals. The Nuggets finished the job with a 113-111 victory in Game 4 on Monday night.
This will be the first trip to the NBA Finals for the Nuggets. They previously lost four Western Conference Finals series, with three of those losses coming against the Lakers.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists triple-double. This was Jokic’s eighth triple-double in the 2023 NBA Playoffs which is the most by any player in a single postseason run in NBA history. The 28-year-old Serbian ended up receiving the Western Conference Finals MVP award, named after Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson, for his stellar performance.
Entering Game 4 with their backs against the wall, the Lakers actually looked like they could extend the series. They led by 15 points at the half and were the better team throughout the first two quarters.
However, the Lakers collapsed in the third quarter, losing their entire lead, and found themselves trailing five points ahead of the final period. The LA team made one final push to stay alive but couldn’t find enough offense to turn things around.
The Lakers’ superstar LeBron James had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but had his shot blocked.
The Denver Nuggets will now get some well-deserved rest while they await to see who will come out from the East. The Miami Heat currently hold a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals.
