The Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers showed a good performance during the Game 4 of their first postseason match-up, on Saturday, April 27.
The Orlando Magic now tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2 after going up against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 112-89 while the Los Angeles Lakers finally slam the Denver Nuggets consecutive wins after ending Game 4 with a 119-108.
The Magic got their second straight victory against the Cavaliers, 112–89, leveling up the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2.
They dominated the Cavaliers by holding them scoreless for almost seven minutes in the second half of the game.
Franz Wagner of Magic showed an outstanding performance after having a record of 34 points and 13 rebounds. He single-handedly finished outscoring the Cavaliers in the third quarter.
“We got stops all second half even the first half I thought we play good defense for the most part, but we had too many turnovers. So, I thought in the second half we did a better job of you know taking care of the ball and then eliminate kind of their easy points and transition and I thought everybody was really locked in, everybody that came in from the bench was really locked in in that second half and yeah great defense and effort,” Wagner said.
Magic is now at a six-win streak on their home court. Despited that, Wagner was not satisfied with their performance and said they needed to do more.
“We just got two wins. We need two more against them, so we’ve got to stay locked in and try to get the next one in Cleveland,” he said.
Despite the Cavaliers losing, Jarrett Allen had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell had 18 points, all in the first half.
“Ten points [in a quarter] is outrageous,” Mitchell said.
“We have to be better. I have to be better. I’m disappointed in myself, so it’s on me. You can’t have 18 points in the first half and zero in the second, and only four shots,” he added.
The Lakers avoided postseason elimination after winning game 4 with 119-108 versus the champion Nuggets.
LeBron James paved the way for the Lakers after having a score of 30 points alongside Anthony Davis, who added 25 points and 23 rebounds.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves both scored 21 points for the seventh-seeded Lakers. This game not only ended the Lakers’ 11-game losing streak against the Nuggets, but it also marked their first win over the defending NBA champions since December 2022.
The Lakers stood strong and did not yield under the defending champions’ pressure. In his 21st NBA season, James showcased his talent, carrying the Lakers by scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting.
“We’ve given ourselves another lifeline, and it’s a one-game series for us,” James said.
“Monday’s game is the most important game of the season for us, and we understand that,” he added.
Even though the Lakers had a comfortable 19-point lead with a little over six minutes remaining, it slowly diminished to 113-106 on Jokic’s three-point play with 1:25 left on the clock, but Reaves responded with a short jumper then added four free throws in the final minute.
In the Nuggets’ loss, the two-time MVP Nikola Jokic recorded 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists for his 18th career triple-double and second in this series. However, the Nuggets were unable to regain their usual late-game dominance over the Lakers in Game 4 of the series.
“Of course we want to [start faster], but I learned in horse racing, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finished,” Jokic said.
“We didn’t finish today really well, so hopefully we can do a better job. But yes, we want to be up and control the game, but it seems like that didn’t happen to us.”
After winning the fourth game of the series, the Magic and the Lakers are both looking forward to showing a great performance in their upcoming games.
