LeBron James helps LA Lakers keep playoff hopes alive with Nuggets win, Celtics regain advantage over Heat

The Los Angeles Lakers kept their slim NBA Western Conference first-round playoff hopes alive with a 119-108 victory against the Denver Nuggets.

LeBron James scored 30 points as the Lakers won their first game of the best-of-seven series, having trailed 3-0.

Their previous losses against the Nuggets had seen them take a double-digit lead before letting it slip, but this time the Lakers remained in control.

Anthony Davis was another standout player for the Lakers, registering 25 points and 23 rebounds.

"We deserved this tonight," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. "We've just got to bottle it up and keep pushing and understand it can be our time. Why not us?

"Every new game is a new opportunity to be more competitive and more together and more selfless."

James is aiming to become an NBA champion for the fifth time in his career and the second time with the Lakers, having last taken the title in 2020.

"We've given ourselves another life, another lifeline," the 39-year-old said. "The only opportunity for us is just to play the next game."

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics regained the lead in their series against the Miami Heat after a comfortable 104-84 victory.

Jayson Tatum scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and six assists in the win, giving the Celtics, who are the NBA's top seeds, a 2-1 lead overall.

Jaylen Brown also registered 22 points, with the Celtics outscoring their opponents in the first three quarters.

"We didn't make too many adjustments," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "We played a little bit harder, we played harder and we dictated the physicality and the tempo of the game.

"It's the simple things that you have to do under a high level of stress, high level of adversity. I thought our guys did a great job of dictating that tonight."

Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic overcame the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-89 to bring their playoff to 2-2, and the Oklahoma City Thunder extended their lead to 3-0 with a 106-85 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

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