With the clock running down and the door closing on the Nuggets' chance at a victory, Steve Blake took a pass from Kobe Bryant and drained a three, slamming the door shut and securing what would eventually be a 92-88 victory for the Lakers. That was the cherry on top of Blake's fourth quarter, where he scored eight of his ten points on the evening.
The result of the game was up in the air to the very end, with the Lakers trailing at both halftime and entering the fourth quarter. The teams both posted .453 field goal percentages, mirroring how close the game felt as it developed. Turnovers were a big factor, with the Nuggets finding much more success both forcing turnovers and converting them into points. They ended the night with 13 turnovers to Denver's 10.Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum drove the Lakers, with Kobe scoring 22 points and Bynum 19, but the real story was the contributions from others. Jordan Hill, Ramon Sessions and Steve Blake all had key moments in the game. Hill came off the bench to collect 12 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes. Sessions hit the go-ahead 3 pointer late in the game, taking a pass from Pau Gasol. And it was Blake that sealed things, hitting a three from the left corner off a pass from Kobe.
The Lakers return to Los Angeles with a 3-1 series lead and will look to close things out on Wednesday.
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