One win away: Anthony Davis delivers late as Lakers take 3-1 series lead
If his dagger three-pointer wasn’t good enough, Anthony Davis cemented the Lakers’ 102-96 win in Game 4 of the NBA Finals with a block on Jimmy Butler’s layup with 20.5 seconds remaining.
Davis finished with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks as the Lakers will try to close out the best-of-seven Finals on Friday.
LeBron James had 28 points, 20 coming in the second half, with 12 rebounds and eight assists.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had 15 points, including five big ones in the fourth quarter, and Rajon Rondo had seven rebounds and five assists.
Butler led the Heat with 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Tyler Herro had 21 points and seven rebounds.
Anthony Davis is clutch
Anthony Davis hit what could be a dagger three-pointer with 39.5 seconds remaining as the Lakers are now up 100-91.
The Lakers are on a 10-3 run.
Don’t forget about KCP
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope starred in the first quarter with a team-high 10 points, but had been quiet since.
He picked a perfect time to reintroduce himself to the game.
The Lakers missed six consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter before Caldwell-Pope’s corner three with 2:58 to go and a layup put the Lakers ahead 95-88 with 2:00 to go.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 7, 2020
KCP. BANG.
(via @NBAUK)pic.twitter.com/nlYk4EJaPj
LeBron James has seven straight points for Lakers
After Miami tied the score at 83-83, LeBron James scored the next seven Lakers points, but the Lakers lead by just three.
A baseline jumper from Tyler Herro cut the Heat deficit to 90-87 with 4:25 to go.
Herro has 17 points, while James has 26.
After getting shaken up on a collision with Alex Caruso and Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis showed he was just fine by slamming down a two-handed dunk right after the timeout.
The Heat scored five straight points to tie the game, but James responded with a strong drive to the rim for an and-one.
Anthony Davis shaken up as Lakers trying to close out fourth quarter
Anthony Davis tripped over teammate Alex Caruso and was slow to get off the court as trainers attended to the star forward.
While Davis stayed on the ground, the Heat made a three-pointer and now trail 81-78 with 7:38 to go.
Davis has 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Lakers ahead by six points with eight minutes left
LeBron James hit a fadeaway baseline jumper over Jimmy Butler with 8:46 remaining to put the Lakers ahead 81-75.
James, who has 19 points and nine rebounds, forced the Heat to take a timeout after the shot.
Anthony Davis has 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Lakers finish third quarter with five-point lead
Anthony Davis scored the final seven points of the third quarter for the Lakers as they took a 75-70 lead going into the fourth.
The Lakers are 55-0 this season when entering the fourth quarter with a lead.
Davis, who has 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists,made a straight-on three-pointer to give the Lakers a seven-pointt lead with 2:27 remaining in the third quarter. It was the largest lead for either team in the game that’s been tightly contested.
The Heat responded with six consecutive points, including four from the free-throw line. Free throws have carried Miami tonight as they have made 20 of 24. The Lakers have taken just nine free throws, five of which came from LeBron James. Davis scored his final four points from the stripe.
James has 17 points and seven rebounds with six assists. After five turnovers in the first half, he had just one in the third quarter.
Here comes The King
LeBron James scored or assisted on all 10 points during a 11-3 Lakers run as they lead 63-60 with 5:41 remaining in the third quarter.
James has made two three-pointers and has taken all five of the Lakers’ free throws in the game.
While James is heating up in the second half, Jimmy Butler has missed four straight shots after starting five for five from the field. Butler, who scored 40 points in Game 3, has 14 points tonight.
LeBron James gains steam as Lakers go back in front
After another slow start from the Lakers to begin the second half, LeBron James sparked his team to an 8-0 run and a 59-54 lead with 7:22 left in the third quarter.
James, who scored just eight points in the first half, hit a deep three-pointer to start the run, assisted a breakaway dunk to Danny Green in transition and attacked the basket for a layup.
James has 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Alex Caruso will return with hip injury, Markieff Morris starts second half
Alex Caurso appeared to sustain a hip injury late in the second quarter when he fell to the court trying to fight over a Jimmy Butler screen. Despite the injury, the Lakers guard is expected to continue.
Markieff Morris started the second half in place of Dwight Howard as the Lakers lead 49-47. Morris had three points, two rebounds and two assists in the first half. Howard was scoreless with two rebounds.
Supporting cast helps Lakers take halftime lead
LeBron James has just eight points on three-of-eight shooting, but the Lakers still have a 49-47 lead at halftime thanks to their bench.
The Lakers reserves has 15 points, led by seven from Alex Caruso. Although he is scoreless, Rajon Rondo is leading the second unit with four assists and six rebounds.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope still has a team-high 10 points, but was scoreless in the second quarter. Anthony Davis has eight points, six rebounds and three assists.
Jimmy Butler is carrying the Heat with 13 points, two rebounds and two assists.
Bam Adebayo has nine points and four rebounds in his much-anticipated return after a neck/shoulder injury kept him out of Games 2 and 3.
Lakers win first-half challenge
The Lakers are up 46-45 with 1:40 left in the second quarter after Frank Vogel won a coach’s challenge on a potential foul on LeBron James.
Anthony Davis has eight points and six rebounds while James has eight points and four assists with five turnovers.
After five combined points in the past two games, Danny Green has eight points, including two three-point shots.
Turnovers adding up, but Lakers are tied
Despite five turnovers from LeBron James, the Lakers are tied 39-39 with 6:02 remaining in the second quarter.
The Lakers have nine turnovers as a team, but are getting good contributions from their reserves, with five points from Kyle Kuzma and three from Markieff Morris, who tied the score with a three-pointer.
James has eight points, three rebounds and four assists. His five turnovers are more than half of his total of eight from Game 3.
Heat take lead with 11-2 run
The Heat surged at the start of the second quarter to take a 33-29 lead with 9:53 remaining in the first half. And the Heat are doing this with Jimmy Butler on the bench.
Miami started the streak with three free throws from Duncan Robinson, who was fouled by Kyle Kuzma while shooting a three-pointer. The Heat scored eight straight points before the Lakers got on the board in the quarter with a layup from Alex Caruso.
A three-pointer from Andre Iguodala forced the Lakers to take a timeout.
Lakers living by the three-pointer
Thanks to making four of five three-pointers, the Lakers lead 27-22 at the end of the first quarter.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope still leads the Lakers with 10 points, including two-of-three three-point shoooting.
In his much-anticipated return, Bam Adebayo picked up two fouls in the first quarter. He was limited to two points, one rebound and one steal in seven minutes.
An update from the Turner Turnover Tracker. (Copyright pending)
Jimmy Butler has 11 points, two rebounds and two assists while Kyle Kuzma has five points.
James has three points and four assists with three turnovers.
Lakers lead 21-18 in first quarter
Behind a fast start and 10 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Lakers lead 21-18 with 2:50 to go in the first quarter.
The Lakers are shooting 60% from the field with eight assists on nine field goals. Four of those assists are from LeBron James, who has just two points himself. They came in emphatic fashion.
Danny Green got an important three-pointer early as he made an open shot from the corner. Green missed all four of his three-pointers in Game 3 and was shooting just four for 20 from long range in the Finals.
He has three points and one rebound.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leads Lakers out of the gate
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has scored eight of the Lakers’ first 10 points, but the Heat lead 12-10 with 6:31 left in the first half.
Caldwell-Pope, who had just five points in Game 3, is three-for-three shooting from the field to start Game 4, including two three-pointers, and one assist.
LeBron James has three assists, two rebounds and two turnovers with no points. The Lakers struggled with 19 turnovers in Game 3 and Brad Turner is keeping track of the trend to start Game 4.
The Lakers have five turnovers so far.
Lakers executives kneel in solidarity with players during national anthem
While fighting for social justice this season, NBA players have consistently kneeled on the court during the national anthem. Team executives in attendance joined them before Game 4.
Game 4 underway as Lakers try to bounce back
The Lakers win the tip and get the ball to Anthony Davis on the first possession. Davis, who missed a baseline jumper, is looking for a big turnaround after his Game 3 struggles.
The Lakers are hoping to take a 3-1 lead.
Dwight Howard turns back the clock
Dwight Howard has revitalized his career in many ways this season, including showing off this glimpse of his dunking prowess from Times reporter Dan Woike.
Howard will start in Game 4 against the Heat as the Lakers try to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.
Adam Silver avoids pregame foul on Dwight Howard as Lakers begin warmups
The Lakers charged the court for warmups before Game 4 with Dwight Howard, who led the team out of the tunnel, almost charging over NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Watch Brad Turner’s video closely to see Silver barely dodge the oncoming traffic.
Bam Adebayo returns to starting lineup for Heat
Bam is back.
The Heat center who missed the last two games with a neck/shoulder injury is not only cleared to play in Game 4 tonight, but Bam Adebayo is will also start against the Lakers, who hold a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
With Goran Dragic still out because of a foot injury, rookie Tyler Herro will stay in the starting lineup for the Heat.
The Lakers are expected to stick with the same lineup, acccording to Spectrum reporter Mike Trudell, starting LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Danny Green and Dwight Howard.
After Game 3 flop, Anthony Davis warms up for Game 4
Times reporter Brad Turner caught a glimpse of Anthony Davis warming up for Game 4. After dominating the first two games, Davis strugged in Game 3, with just 15 points and five turnovers while taking just nine shots. With Bam Adebayo returning for the Heat, the Lakers will need Davis to get back to his best form.
Bam Adebayo set to play in Game 4
Center Bam Adebayo is active, warming up and expected to play tonight for the Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters during his media session before the game that it was not definite, but Adebayo has been warming up.
Adebayo has a strained neck stemming from an injury in Game 1 last Wednesday. He and point guard Goran Dragic, who will sit out tonight’s game because of a foot injury also sustained in Game 1, both missed Games 2 and 3.
Then again, Spoelstra might want to check with the team’s social media folks. They’re saying Adebayo is playing.
Lakers ready to change strategy if Bam Adebayo plays for Heat
From the Lakers’ perspective, they have a more effective and traditional defensive unit when Miami Heat all-star center Bam Adebayo plays in the NBA Finals.
Adebayo hasn’t played in the last two games, and called himself “day to day” because of a neck injury, leaving him uncertain for Game 4 on Tuesday night against the Lakers at AdventHealth Arena. His teammate guard Goran Dragic said Monday he was unsure when he would be able to play again after missing Games 2 and 3 with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.
At 6-foot-9, Adebayo plays closer to the basket than his backups do, and that allows the Lakers to play to their defensive strengths with the physical 6-10 Dwight Howard and the long-armed 6-10 Anthony Davis at center.
Adebayo has the ability to initiate Miami’s offense, but he doesn’t venture outside very much to score, which allows the Lakers to protect the basket better.
“If Bam comes back — obviously he’s been hurt — but that allows us to play a more traditional style,” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said. “It allows us to really key in on what we do best defensively. So, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that.”
Lakers hoping to capitalize on previous bounce-back success
All season, the Lakers have prided themselves on their ability to bounce back from losses.
In pre-pandemic times, they had only two losing streaks. The first was four games in December that included losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Clippers, which caused apocalyptic predictions about the Lakers’ future. The other was a two-game streak in January, those losses split by the death of Kobe Bryant.
For most of the season, a loss was followed by a win. That also has been true in the playoffs.
“We’re able to take a loss and understand why we lost,” LeBron James said Monday. “Understand things that we should have done better and things that we can apply to the next game to be better. We’re right back at that moment once again with the opportunity to be better than we were in the game before.
“Look forward to the opportunity tomorrow night.”
$20 for a cup of coffee? Yes, and Jimmy Butler does not take an IOU
Good morning from the NBA’s bubble, where the player who just had one of only three 40-point triple-doubles in NBA Finals history is charging $20 for a cup of coffee out of his hotel room.
Jimmy Butler’s side hustle doesn’t rest — even when his body has to — because Big Face Coffee has customers to satisfy inside the Miami Heat’s section of the Grand Destino hotel.
And even when the Heat give Butler the thing he wants most — a win — he doesn’t give them any favors back.
“I don’t do sales,” Butler said. “I don’t do free coffee.”