Connect with us

Sports

Game 4 takeaways: Lakers finally met Nuggets' force with force

Published

on

Game 4 takeaways: Lakers finally met Nuggets' force with force

Here are five takeaways from the Lakers’ 119-108 win against Denver in Game 4:

Maybe soon but not today

The Lakers staved off elimination by playing their most complete game of the playoffs in a wire-to-wire win against the Nuggets. For the fourth straight game, they led by double digits, but for the first time against Denver, they held that lead.

“We knew they were going to make a couple of runs, a prideful, championship team. … We had some unfortunate fouls, some unfortunate turnovers. But we kept the scoreboard moving as well, which you have to,” coach Darvin Ham said. “You’re not going to shut anyone down completely for the entire game so you just have to be prepared for that onslaught and make sure you’re doing what you need to do and meeting force with force. Force them into tough situations. And if it doesn’t work out, move on to the next play and go try to go back at them.”

After disastrous second halves in the previous three games, the Lakers were only a minus-2 in the second half Saturday, withstanding every Denver push with consistent and organized offense and just enough defense.

“We know. We’ve talked about it,” LeBron James said. “We’ve been talking about it. It’s something that’s been an Achilles’ heel for us all season, coming into the third quarter with some energy and understanding that teams want to try to make that run when the second [half] happens. So we talked about it again tonight and we were able to fix it. And it goes with more than just talking about it. You got to go out and be about it as well. And we did that.”

Advertisement

The win came as scrutiny about Ham’s future increased significantly with the Lakers’ dropping the first three games to Denver, extending a streak to 11 straight before Saturday’s win.

While the Game 4 win kept the season alive, it’s merely a step.

“We won this game,” James said. “That was the most important, but now we got to start focusing on the next one. So, it’s not like we lose the next one and then it would be 12-1 in the last 13 games. We want to try to make that not happen.

“We want to continue to try to play good basketball and focus on our next task. Our next task, like I said, is Monday’s game and we’ll see what happens.”

AD’s A-plus

Anthony Davis had his best game of the series, a 25-point, 23-rebound, six-assist performance while playing a more disciplined style on the defensive end.

Advertisement

“Totally just dominant. Dominant,” Ham said of Davis. “Just the way he’s been on the glass, changing shots, got a helluva matchup with Joker [Denver’s Nikola Jokic]. Just his focus, being that defensive catalyst, communicating.”

Offensively, Davis attacked more forcefully and, for the first time this series, played with more continuous energy than Jokic, who still had a triple-double.

“I’m in a good rhythm, just how we’re playing,” Davis said. “Just playing in the flow, not really forcing anything, just letting the game kind of come to me. A lot of pick and rolls, stuff around rim, if I get some isolations, trying to be aggressive. If I see an open floor if I get a rebound, pushing it. Being aggressive in those moments.”

Advertisement

LeBron late

Despite strong numbers throughout the series, James at times has had uneven performances on the defensive end. Aaron Gordon, in particular, was a thorn in his side in Game 3, with 29 points, beating James backdoor when his energy shifted to another attacker.

On Saturday, Gordon was a non-factor with James more energetic on the defensive end.

And in the fourth quarter, James had another great quarter, making six of eight shots from the field to lead all fourth-quarter scorers.

“Well, they’re going to make adjustments. They’re a great team. They’re super-well-coached,” James said. “We have to be able to counter their attacks but also come in with the same mindset that we have to sustain our effort, we have to sustain our energy. We’re here to do that. Keep attacking. And try to keep them [at bay] in the things that we can control, like fast-break points. We only gave up 12 tonight to them. We only gave up five second-chance points. And also at the same time, we only gave up nine offensive rebounds.”

The others have their night

Gabe Vincent hit a big three. Taurean Prince attacked the rim. The two of them played key fourth-quarter minutes.

Advertisement
Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell holds his face with both hands in exclamation while talking to LeBron James during Game 4.

Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell reacts alongside LeBron James during their Game 4 victory over the Nuggets on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Rui Hachimura finished at the rim. Austin Reaves attacked. And D’Angelo Russell, after a miserable Game 3, bounced back in Game 4.

“Obviously, our offense was clicking better than it has been in the last three games,” Reaves said. “And I think everybody in the starting lineup besides me shot 50% or better from the floor. So that’s always a recipe for success. And then, obviously, always playing off LeBron and AD. They relieve so much pressure because coaches and teams are always so worried about them, then we can really be ourselves.”

For Russell, it’s his second strong bounce-back game of the series, the key being to not have another off night.

Advertisement

“We found a way to score and get stops and then at some point we stopped getting good looks, stopped putting the ball in the hole, and then they find a way within their system to continue to be efficient and get good quality shots,” Russell said. “For us, that’s something we struggle with. For us to focus on it this game to continue to get good shots, to continue to push the pace, it’s something that happens, keep going, next play mentality. We kept the pace in the game up and I think it played in our favor.”

Still room to grow

The Lakers, like Denver, still haven’t really had a top-notch shooting night from three. And, despite Nuggets coach Michael Malone pointing out the Lakers’ free-throw edge this season, Denver has won that battle in each of the last three games of the series.

Jamal Murray still hasn’t fully caught fire, and Saturday the Lakers’ defense still gave Denver some great looks after mistakes. Yet for the first time in what feels like forever, Denver missed a bunch of those shots.

“We’ve got a lot of good stuff to look at in film and just have to be even better, even more perfect,” Ham said.

Advertisement

Sports

Ex-NFL star implores Russell Wilson to hang it up: ‘Do your TV thing’

Published

on

Ex-NFL star implores Russell Wilson to hang it up: ‘Do your TV thing’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Russell Wilson has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career.

He helped the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. But the last few years of his career arguably did some damage to his legacy as he’s spent the last three seasons with three different teams.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 9, 2025. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

Wilson is still on the free-agent market as he looks to latch on to a new team for 2026. However, former NFL star Aqib Talib implored Wilson to hang up the cleats.

“Do your TV thing, Russ. It’s over with, man. Once you’ve got to decide, do I even want to play?” Talib said on “The Arena: Gridiron.” “I think you don’t really want to play. I hate when guys get to the later part of their career and then they start doing the bounce-around thing and they’re not going to win. There was no chip in New York. That’s just going to be another stop on your resume.”

Wilson reportedly garnered some interest from NFL teams.

New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson stands on the field before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Oct. 26, 2025. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

He told the New York Post that the New York Jets were one of them.

Wilson also was reportedly a candidate to take Matt Ryan’s spot on CBS’ “The NFL Today” after Ryan left to take a front office job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Wilson has 46,966 passing yards and 353 passing touchdowns in 205 career games, but the 2025 season with the New York Giants was one to forget.

Wilson started three games and made some bizarre decisions in a loss against the Chiefs. Jaxson Dart was named the starting quarterback. As he came in to take a few snaps while Dart was being checked for a concussion, Wilson was booed.

New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson watches from the sidelines during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Should he end up signing with another team, Wilson will be entering his age-38 season.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Artists, community come together to welcome World Cup to Inglewood with murals and more

Published

on

Artists, community come together to welcome World Cup to Inglewood with murals and more

A lot has changed since Jacori Perry attended Morningside High School.

Perry is now a renowned artist who goes by the names Mr. Ace and AiseBorn.

The school is now known as Inglewood High School United.

And the lecture hall on that campus now features a large, ornate mural of a soccer ball being grasped by the hands of two people — freshly painted by the 2004 Morningside graduate as the city of Inglewood prepares to host eight World Cup games at SoFi Stadium starting next month.

Local artist Mr. Ace works on his mural at Inglewood High School United on May 11. The artists, whose real name is Jacori Perry, attended the school when it was known as Morningside High more than two decades ago.

Advertisement

(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

“If you told me that I would be back here painting one of the walls on this campus when I was in high school, I don’t think that I necessarily would have foreseen it,” Mr. Ace said as he was putting the finishing touches on his mural last week. “So I’m a little in amazement about just the way life works in that sense.”

He was one of several Los Angeles-based artists to participate in a Road to World Cup Community Day last month at Inglewood High United. Many of the artists — including Juan Pablo Reyes (“JP murals”), Michelle Ruby Guerrero (“Mr. B Baby”) and Angel Acordagoitia — sketched designs on portable panels (12-feet by 8-feet) and picnic tables for community members to paint.

The picnic tables will remain at the high school in front of Mr. Ace’s mural. The mobile murals will be placed throughout LAX to welcome visitors arriving for the World Cup.

Advertisement

Kathryn Schloessman, CEO of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee, said in a news release that the event was “just one example of how the energy of the World Cup can be felt in neighborhoods across our region.”

“Students, artists, and volunteers came together to create a work of art that will live on well beyond the end of the tournament,” Schloessman said. “It’s a reflection of the creativity, diversity, and community pride that makes our region so special as we prepare to host the world for FIFA World Cup 2026.”

Community members were encouraged to take part in the painting process, no matter their skill level.

“We made it easy enough for people that have zero experience to a proficient level of experience, for them to all be involved,” said Reyes, who designed and helped paint two mural panels and three tables. “We did the sketch, and then I tried to dab a little bit of color — whatever color is supposed to be there, I dabbed a little bit of color right there, so they would have a guide. …

People stand on a scaffold and on the ground while painting a mural on a large panel.

Students and community members help paint a mural panel during a Road to World Cup Community Day event May 2 at Inglewood High School.

(Dawn M. Burkes / Los Angeles Times)

Advertisement

“I was right there, kind of supervising, making sure that everything went as planned. And if anybody has questions, they’re more than welcome to let me know about them. But, yeah, it’s pretty easy for them to kind of be involved and feel that sense of ownership and have a sense of pride that, ‘Yeah, I was part of that mural-creation process.’ It’s a rich experience for them.”

Acordagoitia sketched several table-top designs for the public to paint at the event.

“They did great,” he said of the community members. “They helped a lot. They were asking questions. They got all the other colors correct. So, yeah, they were excited. A lot of kids were excited to see the live painting, because now kids are used to being on their phones. So that was a great experience for them.”

Acordagoitia also opted to paint a mural panel on his own because “it was a little more technical,” involving portraits of his 8-year-old son, a nephew and a friend.

Advertisement

“I wanted to focus more on the youth because that’s really our future,” he said. “So that’s, that’s the main thing about the mural, just about the kids, soccer, culture, community. It’s exciting for me, because I grew up playing soccer and to include soccer with art, it’s just a dream come true.”

Guerrero said “the community was a big help in filling in all the background colors that I need in order to build the detail and layers” on the two mural panels she designed.

“My whole style is based on culture. And I think that there’s a connection there with the World Cup and how I feel like it brings together all the culture and just, like, celebration,” Guerrero said. “It kind of goes hand in hand with the type of work I do, because my stuff is really festive, celebrating culture. And just as an L.A.-based artist, I think the collaboration made sense.”

The four artists also took part in another Road to World Cup Community Day in downtown L.A. at Gloria Molina Grand Park on March 14. At that event, the artists sketched designs on large sculptures shaped like soccer balls and an oversized picnic table, also for community members to paint.

While Mr. Ace opted to paint his permanent mural at Inglewood High School United on his own, he was sure to include the community theme into his work.

Advertisement

“The idea was really centered around just creating something that was community-based — something that represented the World Cup but also represented some sense of community,” he said. “And so what I did was try to create something that was symbolic, very direct in terms of its relationship to soccer and figuring out through that how to create something simple that [brings] into that a sense of community. And that’s how I landed on the two hands holding the soccer ball.”

A man stands in a lift and paints on a wall with blue paint as part of a mural with an ornate design.

Local artist Mr. Ace works on his World Cup-themed mural at Inglewood High School United on May 11.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Back when he was a student on that campus, Mr. Ace said he was always involved in art and knew he wanted a career as an artist. He struggled to come up with the right words to describe how it felt being back there creating a work of art to be shared with the students, all of the community and everyone who happens to see it on the way to a World Cup match.

“I guess there’s no words to really describe it,” he said. “I think if any artist gets the opportunity to paint at their own high school — especially if they’ve been doing large-scale works around the city, the country or the world — I think that is a little touching. When it’s attached to something like the World Cup … you know, a large part of my childhood was spent in Inglewood, so coming from my circumstances and life, I think it’s even more intriguing.”

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Sports

Indy 500: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes In Race History

Published

on

Indy 500: Counting Down The 10 Best Finishes In Race History

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The best Indianapolis 500 finish could be subjective, depending on which driver a fan was rooting for to win.

It certainly is in the eye of the beholder.

So take this list for what it’s worth. One view of the 10 best finishes in Indianapolis 500 history. Of course, it skews to more recent decades when the runs have come a little faster and the finishes have had a tendency to be a little closer.

We’ll add one each day to this list of fantastic finishes ahead of the 110th running of the Indy 500 on May 24 (12:30 p.m. ET on FOX).

Advertisement

10. Ericsson outduels O’Ward (2022)

After a red flag, Marcus Ericsson held off Pato O’Ward in a two-lap shootout. The shootout didn’t last two laps, though, as there was a crash on the final lap behind them. Ericsson had a comfortable lead when the red flag came out for a crash with four laps to go, a situation where in past Indianapolis 500 races, they likely would have ended the race under caution with Ericsson as the winner.

9. Foyt survives chaos (1967)

How does a driver who wins by two laps end up on this list? It’s because the win nearly didn’t happen on the last lap. A big crash with cars and debris littering the frontstretch just ahead of Foyt as he came to the checkered flag forced him to navigate through the wreckage for the win.

8. Sato can’t catch Franchitti (2012)

This was one of those finishes where the leader holds on for the win, but boy did the leader have to hold on. Takuma Sato tried to pass Dario Franchitti early on the final lap but to no avail and Franchitti sped off for the victory. This was one of those Indy 500s that made you hold your breath all the way to the checkered flag.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending