The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are already getting chippy in Game 4. Watch LeBron James and Aaron Gordon get into it underneath the basket.
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the ropes, down 0-3 in their conference finals series with the Denver Nuggets. LeBron James and company are looking to make history and become the first team to come back from that deficit. So far in Game 4, the Lakers aren't backing down.
Just over three minutes into the second quarter, the game's intensity escalated to a fevered pitch when LeBron James and Aaron Gordon got mixed up underneath the basket.
James is having his best game of the playoffs so far. Gordon is the man tasked with guarding LeBron — a difficult task, even in the King's age-38 season.
Watch LeBron James and Aaron Gordon scuffle in Lakers-Nuggets Game 4
Gordon appeared to hook LeBron's right arm while battling for position in the post. James retailed with a push to the chest. Both players were assessed technicals.
James posted a career-high 31 points in the first half; clearly Gordon's physicality hasn't deterred the four-time champ. LeBron played all but four seconds of the first half for LA and could see a similar workload in the second half as the Lakers seek to avoid elimination. That could mean extended minutes for Gordon as Denver's best answer to James' size and athleticism. Gordon has 13 points of his own, punishing the Lakers' defense for leaving him open on the perimeter.
If this scuffle serves as any indicator, we're in for a hard-fought game. The Lakers are red-hot from deep but we have seen the Nuggets erase deficits before. Jamal Murray got loose for some impressive finishes around the rim and Nikola Jokic is a persistent threat to exploit the Lakers' defense. LA cannot rest easy with its 15-point halftime lead.
The question now: can Gordon do anything to slow James down, or will the Lakers ride the King's wave to victory?
