LeBron James (Photo via @ComplexSports/Twitter)
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have avoided the sweep, coming up with a crucial win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 on Saturday night.
Darvin Ham’s job still hangs in the balance, but he has bought himself some time. The Lakers will hope to extend their season with another win in Game 5 on Monday.
Ham found himself at the center of a LeBron meltdown in the fourth quarter. James had knocked the ball out of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s hand but was sure KCP was the last to touch it before it went out of bounds.
The referees thought differently and let Denver regain possession, while Ham refused to challenge the decision. The coach’s failure to act infuriated the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who went ballistic, shouting and stomping at the Lakers bench while Denver got to score an easy, uncontested layup.
He was still going after the Nuggets scored.
Lebron James Caught Swearing At Darvin Ham
The LegendZ Twitter/X account has broken down the clip, catching LeBron James screaming at Ham to “Challenge the F- ing play!”
Check it out:
Turns out he was correct. KCP was the last one to touch the ball. It was a missed opportunity for the Lakers as Ham did not challenge the call in time.
The Lakers ultimately secured a 119-108 win, sending the series back to Denver.
“We’ve given ourselves another lifeline,” LeBron said after the game. “It’s a one-game series for us. Monday’s game is the most important game of the season for us, we know that.”
The Lakers and Nuggets will play their fifth game of the first-round series at 10:00 PM ET on Monday night.