Los Angeles Lakers are one step closer to winning their 16th NBA title. Carried by great defense and a stellar performance from their superstar LeBron James, the Lakers beat Miami Heat 102-96 on Tuesday night to claim a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Game 4 was arguably the closest contest in the series, with both teams sitting at 83-83 midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Lakers started pulling ahead with James’ power drive to the basket to get and-one, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drilled a three on the subsequent possession to discourage another Heat’s rally.

Several minutes later, Anthony Davis delivered a dagger-three point to give the Lakers a nine-point lead and remove any doubts about the winner of the game.

Lebron James was the driving force for the Lakers in this game, scoring game-high 28 points to go with 12 rebounds and eight assists. Davis followed with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Danny Green and Caldwell-Pope also finished the game in double digits.

“Felt like a finals game,” said James after the game.”Felt like both teams were desperate … and that’s what it’s all about.”

Heat was led by Jimmy Butler, who had a near triple-double (22-10-9), while Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo scored 21 points and 15 points, respectively. Miami was playing their second straight game without guard Goran Dragic, who got injured during Game 2 and probably won’t return for the series.

The post LeBron James Carries the Lakers to 3-1 Lead over Heat in NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James are the finalists for 2017-18 regular season NBA MVP award, the league has announced on Wednesday.

James Harden, who is the overwhelming favorite to be named NBA MVP, has averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading his Rockets to 65 wins and number one seed in the Western Conference. Harden missed out on MVP award last season when he finished second in the voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook.

This will be the first time for Anthony Davis to be in the MVP finalists after he leads the Pelicans into the playoffs following the injury of DeMarcus Cousins. Davis ended the regular season averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

Finally, LeBron James is looking to get his fifth NBA MVP award, which would make him tied with Michael Jordan. James has played one of the best regular seasons in his career, averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

NBA also announced finalists for other awards, with the winners set to be revealed on June 25. The winners for most of the awards will be voted on by a panel of 100 media members, while the fans will have the opportunity to determine award winners for the best dunk, assist, block and clutch shot of the year.

You can check out the finalists for other awards below.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (76ers), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Brad Stevens (Celtics)
Most Improved Player: Clint Capela (Rockets), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon (Rockets), Lou Williams (LA Clippers), Fred VanVleet (Raptors)

The post James Harden, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James Finalists for NBA MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James is still the best basketball player in the world, even in his 15th season in the NBA. Although he has been known for longevity and durability through his entire career, in the past 14 years James never played in all 82 games of the regular season. He might achieve that this year, however.

The 33-year-old is set to play in the Cavs’ game against the New York Knicks on Monday, his 81st in the season. If everything goes as planned, he will make himself available for the Wednesday’s regular-season finale, against the Knicks as well.

“We’ll see how tonight goes,” – said James to the reporters on Monday. “I’ve been telling you that for the last four weeks. So, my mindset is focus on tonight and if I come out healthy, I’ll be available for Wednesday. That’s all that matters for me.“

LeBron James could also hit achieve another milestone, and feat that was never done in the history of the league as well. If the Cavaliers win one of the two upcoming games, they will finish the season at the top of Central Division. This would be James’ 10th straight division title, something no other player has managed to do so far.

“That’s pretty cool,” – said James when this was brought to his attention. “I had no idea about that, but that’s pretty cool. To be able to be in a position where you kind of control a division, that’s a pretty unique thing to me. I definitely didn’t know that.“

LeBron James is currently averaging 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Cavaliers are currently sitting as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers who are the third seed.

The post LeBron James Aims to play all 82 Regular Season Games for the First time in His Career appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Lakers are one step closer to winning their 16th NBA title. Carried by great defense and a stellar performance from their superstar LeBron James, the Lakers beat Miami Heat 102-96 on Tuesday night to claim a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals.

Game 4 was arguably the closest contest in the series, with both teams sitting at 83-83 midway through the fourth quarter. However, the Lakers started pulling ahead with James’ power drive to the basket to get and-one, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope drilled a three on the subsequent possession to discourage another Heat’s rally.

Several minutes later, Anthony Davis delivered a dagger-three point to give the Lakers a nine-point lead and remove any doubts about the winner of the game.

Lebron James was the driving force for the Lakers in this game, scoring game-high 28 points to go with 12 rebounds and eight assists. Davis followed with 22 points and eight rebounds, while Danny Green and Caldwell-Pope also finished the game in double digits.

“Felt like a finals game,” said James after the game.”Felt like both teams were desperate … and that’s what it’s all about.”

Heat was led by Jimmy Butler, who had a near triple-double (22-10-9), while Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo scored 21 points and 15 points, respectively. Miami was playing their second straight game without guard Goran Dragic, who got injured during Game 2 and probably won’t return for the series.

The post LeBron James Carries the Lakers to 3-1 Lead over Heat in NBA Finals appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Houston Rockets’ James Harden, New Orleans Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, and Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James are the finalists for 2017-18 regular season NBA MVP award, the league has announced on Wednesday.

James Harden, who is the overwhelming favorite to be named NBA MVP, has averaged 30.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading his Rockets to 65 wins and number one seed in the Western Conference. Harden missed out on MVP award last season when he finished second in the voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook.

This will be the first time for Anthony Davis to be in the MVP finalists after he leads the Pelicans into the playoffs following the injury of DeMarcus Cousins. Davis ended the regular season averaging 28.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.6 blocks per game.

Finally, LeBron James is looking to get his fifth NBA MVP award, which would make him tied with Michael Jordan. James has played one of the best regular seasons in his career, averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

NBA also announced finalists for other awards, with the winners set to be revealed on June 25. The winners for most of the awards will be voted on by a panel of 100 media members, while the fans will have the opportunity to determine award winners for the best dunk, assist, block and clutch shot of the year.

You can check out the finalists for other awards below.

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (76ers), Rudy Gobert (Jazz)
Coach of the Year: Dwane Casey (Toronto Raptors), Quin Snyder (Jazz), Brad Stevens (Celtics)
Most Improved Player: Clint Capela (Rockets), Spencer Dinwiddie (Brooklyn Nets), Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
Sixth Man of the Year: Eric Gordon (Rockets), Lou Williams (LA Clippers), Fred VanVleet (Raptors)

The post James Harden, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James Finalists for NBA MVP Award appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar LeBron James is still the best basketball player in the world, even in his 15th season in the NBA. Although he has been known for longevity and durability through his entire career, in the past 14 years James never played in all 82 games of the regular season. He might achieve that this year, however.

The 33-year-old is set to play in the Cavs’ game against the New York Knicks on Monday, his 81st in the season. If everything goes as planned, he will make himself available for the Wednesday’s regular-season finale, against the Knicks as well.

“We’ll see how tonight goes,” – said James to the reporters on Monday. “I’ve been telling you that for the last four weeks. So, my mindset is focus on tonight and if I come out healthy, I’ll be available for Wednesday. That’s all that matters for me.“

LeBron James could also hit achieve another milestone, and feat that was never done in the history of the league as well. If the Cavaliers win one of the two upcoming games, they will finish the season at the top of Central Division. This would be James’ 10th straight division title, something no other player has managed to do so far.

“That’s pretty cool,” – said James when this was brought to his attention. “I had no idea about that, but that’s pretty cool. To be able to be in a position where you kind of control a division, that’s a pretty unique thing to me. I definitely didn’t know that.“

LeBron James is currently averaging 27.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Cavaliers are currently sitting as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Philadelphia 76ers who are the third seed.

The post LeBron James Aims to play all 82 Regular Season Games for the First time in His Career appeared first on SportzBonanza.