By Gustavo Castilho
Lebron James and Anthony Davis were once again the stars of a balanced match.
Balance would be the word to define this fourth game of the series if the stars of Los Angeles hadn’t shone brighter and assured the victory by 102 to 96. Lebron James left the court with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, being the game higher scorer with a double-double. Anthony Davis made a series of crucial plays and closed the night with 22 points and 9 rebounds, in addition to helping a lot in the defense sector with 4 blocks.
The match also saw the return of center Bam Adebayo, who was out of the finals due to a neck injury. Together with him, Jimmy Butler tried to repeat Sunday’s brilliant game, to write his name in history. The Florida duo was sharp and was responsible for keeping the Heat ahead on the scoreboard during a good part of the match. But Butler’s 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, as well as Abadayo’s 15 points and 7 rebounds, were not enough to tie the score in the series. Miami is still hoping for the return of point guard Goran Dragic who is still recovering from injury.
The next match will be this Friday, at 22h, Brasília time. The Lakers can match the same number of titles as the NBA’s biggest rival and champion, the Boston Celtics, with 17 trophies. As for Miami, the hopes are to reduce the series difference and force the next games until reaching the last and final game 7, since the California franchise now leads the series in 3 to 1.
Finals schedule (Brasília time)
Game 1: Lakers 116 x 98 Heat
Game 2: Lakers 124x 114 Heat
Match 3: Heat 115 x 104 Lakers
Match 4: Heat 96 x 102 Lakers
Game 5: Lakers v Heat, Friday (9/10), 10 pm
Match 6 (if necessary): Heat x Lakers, Sunday (11/10), 8:30 pm
Game 7 (if necessary): Lakers vs. Heat, Tuesday (10/13), 10 pm
DEPARTURE STATISTICS
Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James – 28 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 stolen
Anthony Davis – 22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 stolen and 4 blocks
K. Caldwell-Pope – 15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists
Danny Green – 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Rajon Rondo – 2 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 stolen
Miami Heat
Jimmy Butler – 22 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 1 block
Tyler Herro – 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 stolen
Bam Adebayo – 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Duncan Robinson – 17 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists and 1 stolen and 1 block
