Lebron requested to guard Jamal Murray late in Game 4

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) holds the ball while defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso (left) forward LeBron James (center) and center Dwight Howard (right). Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Lebron James requested to guard Jamal Murray late in Game 4

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 9/25/20

The Los Angeles Lakers could've allowed the Denver Nuggets to tie the series on Thursday night. Instead, they have pushed Denver to the brink of elimination by taking a 3-1 series lead with a 114-108 win in Game 4.

LeBron James' fourth-quarter defense on Jamal Murray played a huge role in L.A.'s win. The 35-year-old knew containing Murray would be crucial to the team's success, so he requested to guard the Nuggets star late.

“I knew it was winning time and Jamal had it going. ... I told my teammates that I had him."

—LeBron on shutting down Jamal Murray in crunch time pic.twitter.com/hWJOwAOgjn
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 25, 2020

Murray finished with a team-high 32 points in the loss and caused the Lakers a slew of problems throughout the night. Point guard Rajon Rondo credited James for his leadership in deciding to cover Murray and also said it was part of the reason the Lakers took Game 4.

James tallied 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win.

The Lakers now will look to take Game 5 and move on to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. If James can contain Murray like he did in Game 4, the Lakers will have a solid chance at ending things on Saturday.

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