Dwight Howard start helps turn tide for Lakers to take 3-1 lead over Nuggets

Dwight Howard wasn’t on the court for the Los Angeles Lakers in the final minutes of their Game 4 win, but the crucial victory for L.A. that has them up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series started with the decision of Lakers coach Frank Vogel to put Howard in the starting lineup against the Denver Nuggets.

Howard finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but six of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Howard had half of the Lakers offensive rebounds on the way to helping the Lakers post a +21 advantage in second-chance points. The biggest difference in the game was the Lakers’ ability to dominate the offensive glass, with the Lakers posting an offensive rebound rate of 30.9% while the Nuggets had an OREB% of just 17.1%.

While Caldwell-Pope hit key shots and Anthony Davis started the game 7 for 7, Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma each scored in double-figures off of the bench. But the Lakers had a complete performance from their whole squad on Thursday, as Dwight Howard and the other supporting players on the Lakers provided the proper support to LeBron James and Anthony Davis to put themselves only one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals.