LeBron James EXPLODES at Lakers coach Darvin Ham for not challenging out-of-bounds call during Nuggets playoff game…but controversial moment doesn’t prove costly in vital victory
LeBron James was furious with Lakers coach Darvin Ham for not challenging an out-of-bounds call during their crucial NBA playoff game against the Nuggets.
Just under six minutes into the fourth and final quarter in Los Angeles, television cameras captured a seething LeBron urging the Lakers bench to challenge the call after he was deemed to have kicked out the ball of the game.
When Ham and Co chose not to, the 39-year-old jumped in anger and raised his arm to make his frustration known.
He then turned around and appeared to say a few more angry words in the head coach’s direction, before the Nuggets scored on a wide-open layup right after.
LeBron James was furious with Lakers coach Darvin Ham during their game against the Nuggets
The Los Angeles superstar made his frustration known when Ham chose not to contest an out-of-bounds call.
He appeared to lose his temper with the Lakers head coach with six minutes left in the game.
Fortunately for LeBron, the non-challenge didn’t prove costly for his team as they held on for a vital 119-108 victory that keeps their playoff hopes alive.
After losing 3-0 in their first round series to Denver, Los Angeles knew that another loss at Crypto.com Arena would eliminate them from the playoffs.
LeBron and Anthony Davis had other ideas, however, with the Lakers’ star duo scoring 55 points between them in an impressive victory that night. Davis was present with 25 of them while his iconic teammate recorded 30.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves also scored 21 points each for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who ended their 11-game losing streak against the reigning NBA champions with their first win over the Nuggets since December 2022.
Denver swept Los Angeles from the Western Conference Finals last season, but the current Lakers responded to that 0-3 deficit with a performance more worthy of a team that reached the playoffs with 12 wins in 15 games .
James scored 14 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-8 shooting, once again carrying the Lakers at the end of his 21st NBA season. He had never been part of a team eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.
Luckily for LeBron and the Lakers, they kept their playoff hopes alive with a vital victory
Even though he will turn 40 at the end of this calendar year, LeBron is still proving to be one of the best players in the league.
While his Lakers still need to win the next three against Denver, the basketball icon proved it could be done by shooting 14 of 23 from the field.
Game 5 is Monday in Denver, where the Nuggets will look to close out the home series and advance to the conference semifinals.
