NBA

Lakers avoid early exit against Denver

The Los Angeles Lakers have avoided a quick exit in the first play-off round of the North American professional basketball league NBA against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Lakers won game four of the "best of seven" series at home on Saturday by 119:108 to reduce the deficit to 1:3.

It was the Lakers' first win against the Nuggets after eleven defeats in a row. The Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder also celebrated victories.

LeBron James scored 30 points and Anthony Davis had 25 points and 23 rebounds for the Lakers, who, unlike in the first three games of the series, did not lose their lead this time. Austin Reaves scored the last six of his 21 points in the final minute when the Nuggets had cut the gap to seven points. Nikola Jokic scored 33 points and had 14 assists and rebounds for the champions.

Orlando equalizes against Cleveland
The Orlando Magic have equalized their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 2:2. The team from Florida managed a 112:89 win at home in the fourth duel. The teams with the top seeds in the East and West have only played three games. The Celtics won 104-84 at the Miami Heat and took a 2-1 lead in their series. Oklahoma also won the third game away from home against the New Orleans Pelicans 106:85 and can already secure promotion on Monday.