We broke down some of the more intriguing numbers from LAL’s 92-88 Game 4 victory over Denver, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead heading back to STAPLES Center for Tuesday’s Game 5.

2
Huge, dagger three-pointers for Ramon Sessions (48.1 left) and Blake (18.9) in the game’s final minute that clinched the win for L.A. Pau Gasol set up the Sessions look with a screen of Danilo Gallinari and then his sixth assist, while Bryant drew two defenders – Blake’s man coming completely off him – before finding the backup point guard in the corner. After Blake knocked down the shot to make it 92-86 L.A., Bryant waited for him at midcourt and offered a full embrace and head pat.

7
Offensive rebounds for Jordan Hill off LAL’s bench in 23 minutes, plus four defensive boards to give him 11 on the night. He used the O boards to get second chance points, hitting 4 of 9 field goals and 4 of 6 free throws for 12 points. Mike Brown praised his activity afterwards, saying how key it was not only because of the production but because it allowed Bynum (35 minutes) and Gasol (37 minutes) to save their legs a bit.

8
Fourth quarter points for Blake, who added another triple and a long two-point jumper to his dagger three, not to mention a huge defensive play as he swatted Gallinari from behind to erase a transition opportunity. Blake had been only 1 for 6 to start the game before coming up big when it counted. That’s why his teammates trust him — he’s tough.

18
Fast break points for Denver, which LAL will take against the league’s best running team. The Lakers managed seven fast break points of their own to cut down on the margin.

22
Points for Bryant to lead the Lakers, though he needed 25 shots to get there since he took only one free throw in a game that was called very loosely, lots of contact allowed on both ends in the paint. But he pushed through nonetheless, finding a way to win by helping to control tempo, hitting the glass for eight boards (second only to Hill’s 11) and dishing six assists, none bigger than the final pass to Blake.

28
Lakers second chance points, helped by all those offensive boards (19 total) that were a major difference in the game, as stated by George Karl after the game.