Lakers Get Rockets’ Final Plan in Stopping LeBron James Ahead of Game 4

The LA Lakers are in a favorable position ahead of their Game 4 clash against the Houston Rockets. Despite missing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in the first three games, the Lakers, led by 41-year-old LeBron James, have zoomed to a 3-0 lead, an advantage no NBA team has yet to squander. 

Before Game 4, Rockets defensive ace Amen Thompson revealed the team’s last-ditch plan to halt James’ production after his sensational performance in Game 3, where he logged 45 minutes and drilled clutch shots to bury Houston. 

“If he doesn’t slow down, we got to make him slow down,” Thompson said. “Being physical with him, keeping him in a position where he got to play the whole game…Make him move.”

James, the oldest active player in the NBA today, barely looked his age throughout the series, especially in Game 3. Still playing heavy minutes in an overtime game, James put up 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, one block, and three steals, including one that set up his game-tying 3-pointer in regulation. 

The Rockets have given James different defensive coverages throughout the series, most of which have had Thompson as the primary defender. Although none seemed to slow him down, the Lakers continue to bank on James’ orchestration to defeat the Rockets, whose squad has struggled to deal with the Lakers’ pressure. 

The Lakers are expected to lean on James for the upcoming Game 4 as Reaves, their second-best scorer behind Doncic, remains questionable for the upcoming matchup. 

With James’ heroics, pressure has been alleviated on Reaves and Doncic’s recoveries as the Lakers seemed to have been handling their business well with James towing the squad. 

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LeBron James Reflects on Having The Responsibility to Lead the Lakers in the Playoffs

No one saw the Lakers playing the postseason without their top two players Luka Doncic and Asutin Reaves. 

So when the reality came in for the team, LeBron James took it upon himself to lead the squad in Round 1 to buy more time for the two to heal and return to action. 

“The last week of the season, the last thing you would want or even want to imagine or think about is,” James said. “S—, two of your best players going down with injuries and not being ready for the postseason.” 

“So it was a shift for all of us, it’s challenging for all of us … and we’re figuring it out together on the fly.”

James added that the squad should remain hungry and finish the job as soon as they can. 

“We don’t have the luxury of being passive or being complacent,” he said. “We don’t have the luxury to do that. Our whole mindset is we have to do everything it takes in that particular game. 

James has played more than 38 minutes in every game of the series. He looked methodical throughout the series, seemingly to conserve his energy for when it mattered most late in the game. 

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Rockets in Do-or-Die Situation in Game 4 Against the Lakers

The Lakers could be the first team to reach the Western Conference Finals on Sunday as they play Game 4 in Houston. 

The game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. Kevin Durant, who has been nursing a knee injury in this series, remains questionable for the game for the Rockets. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers will look to put the nail in the coffin for Houston to earn their rest ahead of Round 2 in a likely matchup against the top-seeded OKC Thunder. 

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