Lakers players were able to breathe a slight sigh of relief tonight after beating the Denver Nuggets 119-108 in Game 4. The win meant LA avoided being swept by Denver for the second consecutive year.

LeBron James finished strong with 30 points, Anthony Davis had 25 points and 23 rebounds, while D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves scored 21 points each.

Addressing the media postgame, Russell said his ability to score 21 points after going scoreless in Game 3 came down to self-belief.

“I believe in myself, it’s as simple as that. More than anybody.”

Darvin Ham, meanwhile, was very proud of his team’s effort in the face of adversity.

“We deserved this tonight,” Ham said. “We’ve just got to bottle it up and keep pushing and understand it can be our time. Why not us? Every new game is a new opportunity to be more competitive and more together and more selfless.”

The Lakers face an enormous task if they want to become the first-ever team to win a series about being down 3-0, especially with Game 5 and Game 7 both on the road in Denver.

But Austin Reaves says they have no choice but to keep slowly chipping away.

“We get another opportunity to go play one more game, and if we win, come back and play another one and keep moving from there,” Reaves said postgame.

“Odds aren’t stacked in our favor, but anytime we can keep ourselves floating above water and give ourselves an opportunity to do something special, we’re up for the challenge.”

The Lakers and Nuggets will return to the court for Game 5 on Monday.