In the NBA playoffs, Game 4 is often the pivotal game of a series. Unless one team is up 3-0, it’s a chance for the team that is on the wrong side of a 2-1 deficit to tie things up, and an opportunity for the team that is ahead to all but close things out. With the Lakers holding a 2-1 lead on the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, that’s exactly the scenario both teams will be heading into tonight.
With the Nuggets taking the most recent game — and nearly winning Game 2 — they currently have all the momentum, even if they don’t have a series lead.