The Los Angeles Lakers managed to extend their season with a victory in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, but it might just be delaying the inevitable for head coach Darvin Ham.
Lakers star LeBron James poked the ball away from Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope during a defensive sequence in the fourth quarter. James was adamant that the ball had touched Caldwell-Pope last and implored Ham and the Lakers sideline to challenge the call. They failed to do so in time, though. The ball was subsequently inbounded, leading to a wide-open layup for the Nuggets.
James was irate, stomping his feet on the floor and hurling expletives. After Denver scored, James then continued to yell angrily at the Lakers bench.
Here is the video of the sequence.
TV replays showed that the ball was indeed last touched by Caldwell-Pope.
Assistant coaches usually provide input on the decision to challenge a call as they are the ones who have the most immediate access to the video footage on the sideline. But the final decision ultimately rests with the head coach and Ham was not able to pull the trigger on time there.
The sequence was ultimately something of a moot point as the Lakers would still win, 119-108, to force a Game 5 in Denver. But that isn’t a great look for Ham, who recently butted heads with the Lakers’ other superstar and had to withstand Lakers fans loudly calling for his job after Game 3.
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