The Los Angeles Lakers managed to get to game four against the Denver Nuggets with a minimal amount of stress. The series is now 3 – 0 and there is no sign that there might be enough determination in Denver’s players to turn the stakes around.

Yesterday’s game ended 102 – 84 for the Lakers and the first-round playoff series might be Denver’s peak for the 2007 - 2008 season.

The Lakers are being pushed by Kobe Bryant’s new found game perception, combining his usual performance with a much more team-focused effort.

Another great help was provided by their 6th man, Luke Walton, who finished the game with 15 points (6 out of 7), 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher had 14 points each, while Lamar Odom contributed with 12 points for the win.

Denver’s super-star duo had a dissapointing night, with their combined shooting at 10 for 38. Carmelo Anthony finished with 16 points and Allen Iverson had only 15. Kenyon Martin scored 12 points and had 7 rebounds. J.R. Smith had 11 points.

Iverson seemed very upset after the game, and expressed his frustration about his team’s defense issues. In his opinion, a championship team also needs to display an efficient strategy on the defensive end.

In other games, the Atlanta Hawks managed to beat the Boston Celtics with 102 – 93. Josh Smith had 27 points and Joe Johnson scored 23. For the Celtics, Kevin Garnett had the game-high 32 points and also 10 rebounds. The series is now 2 – 1 for Boston.

Orlando Magic made a strong move to end the series after winning game 4 against the Toronto Raptors. Orlando finished the game with 106 – 94 and the score in the series is now 3 – 1. Dwight Howard had 19 points and 16 rebounds while Chris Bosh set a career playoff-high with 39 points and 15 rebounds.