LeBron James has led an overtime rally to give the Los Angeles Lakers a commanding series lead over the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the Western Conference, the second-seeded Grizzlies are staring down the barrel of an early playoff exit after the Lakers claimed a 117-111 victory to take a 3-1 series lead.
James finished with 22 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists and grabbed a game-tying driving layup with 0.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
James then marshalled the Lakers superbly in overtime, scoring four points to put the Lakers in sight of the conference semi-finals.
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It is also now two-straight wins for the Lakers since Dillon Brooks took a shot at James after Memphis tied the series at 1-1 with a game-two win.
Brooks, 27, drew James into a verbal back and fourth during game two in Memphis and was unrepentant afterward at taking on the 38-year-old four-time champion.
“I don’t care — he’s old,” Brooks said of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. “I poke bears.”
Brooks though has been relatively quiet since, refusing to talk to media after either of the Grizzlies’ defeats.
The only reason Brooks eventually spoke to reporters before game four was to defend himself after he was ejected from game three, blaming it on the media’s coverage of him.
“The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me,” Brooks said.
Brooks ejected after low blow on Lebron | 01:22
Memphis looked well-placed to level the series after opening up a seven-point lead with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
But the Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell reeled off three straight three-pointers to turn the game around and give the hosts a 99-97 lead.
A frantic final few minutes saw Memphis take a 104-102 lead with just seconds left on the clock after a sensational behind-the-back pass from Ja Morant set up Desmond Bane for a running layup.
But James conjured his game-tying drive to force overtime and the Lakers tightened up defensively to close out the win.
“We had a next-play, refuse-to-quit mentality,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
“I’m so proud of the way we fought.
“We had moments in the game that weren’t too pretty. But we just kept chipping away, didn’t get discouraged and didn’t fall apart.”
Ham reserved special praise for the leadership of the 38-year-old James down the stretch.
“All of his travels, all of the phenomenal things he’s accomplished, he still has that passion, that grit to be on top,” Ham said. “And that’s what you saw… that’s who he’s been his entire career.”
Bane led the Memphis scoring with 36 points while Morant finished with 22.
JIMMY BUCKETS EXPLODES IN HISTORIC HEAT PERFORMANCE
Jimmy Butler, take a bow.
The six-time NBA All-Star stunned the Milwaukee Bucks with a career-high 56 points during the Miami Heat’s thrilling comeback victory in Game 4 of their playoff series on Tuesday AEST.
Butler set a new franchise playoff record, becoming the first Heat player to register more than 50 points in a post-season game and pushing Milwaukee to the brink of elimination.
The 33-year-old was 19 for 28 from the field, 15 of 18 from the foul line, adding nine rebounds. No other Miami player broke 20 points, with Bam Adebayo the next highest Miami scorer with 15 points.
He’s the 29th player in NBA history to score 50 or more in playoff game. Only Michael Jordan (63 points), Elgin Baylor (61) and Donovan Mitchell (57) have scored more in a post-season game.
“He’s one of the most intelligent basketball players in this association,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said after the five-point win.
“You can’t do what he does on both ends of the court just by running around and trying to figure things out.
“He understands what we’re trying to do and he understands what they’re trying to do — and they’re a very good team.”
Miami, who were trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, won the contest 119-114 after a remarkable 13-0 run in the final term. Butler, now averaging more than 35 points per game in the conference quarterfinals, dropped a whopping 21 points in the fourth quarter.
“For my team, to get this dub, in this way, in this atmosphere, for this city, it’s huge,” Butler said.
“To play basketball in Milwaukee, in front of their crowd, to be together, on the road – that’s where championships are won. And we’ve got a shot.”
The Heat are now one victory away from knocking out the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Bucks, taking a 3-1 lead in the playoff series.
“We had our opportunities in the fourth quarter but we didn’t make enough plays on either end, and they did,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo marked his return from injury with a triple-double for Milwaukee.
The 28-year-old missed the Bucks’ two previous games due to a back injury, but the two-time NBA MVP put together a scintillating performance in Miami, registering 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Antetokounmpo secured his tenth assist in the fourth quarter with a no-look pass to Brook Lopez, footage of which quickly circulated social media.
Lopez finished with 36 points and 11 rebounds.
Miami and Milwaukee will face off in Game 5, now a must-win for the Bucks, at the Fiserv Forum on Thursday at 11.30am AEST.