NBA News Update: Frank Vogel lauds LA Lakers' defensive effort in Game 4, Jimmy Butler confident of Miami Heat comeback

After Jimmy Butler's heroics in Game 3, the LA Lakers responded with a strong performance against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night and took a 3-1 lead in the 2020 NBA Finals by winning Game 4. While LeBron James and Anthony Davis dominated as usual, it was the LA Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who made all the difference in the fourth quarter. In this NBA news update, we'll take a look at how the coaches and players reacted after the epic Game 4 battle.

NBA News Update: Frank Vogel impressed with the LA Lakers' defensive efforts

LA Lakers coach Frank Vogel praised his team for the effort they put up on both ends of the court. After a 40-point performance from the Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler in Game 3, Anthony Davis and LeBron James took the responsibility of guarding Butler tonight and contained him to just 22 points.

Speaking about LeBron and AD's defense, Vogel said:

"That was a big part of our plan. They (LeBron James and Anthony Davis) rose to the challenge."

The LA Lakers' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the 3rd best player on the team tonight and scored 15 points, with 5 of them coming in the last 3 minutes of the game. Coach Vogel praised the 27-year-old for the guts he showed during crunch time.

Frank Vogel on @CaldwellPope, who had 5 huge points in crunch time, hitting the 3 at the 2:58 mark, then the driving layup after he beat Robinson off the dribble for a layup at the 2:02 mark, putting LAL up 7: "Big guts, to take and make those shots that he took."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 7, 2020

Anthony Davis produced another strong performance against the Miami Heat, and ended up with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 crucial blocks. He also hit a dagger 3 with less than a minute left on the clock that sealed the victory for the LA Lakers.

Speaking about Davis' clutch bucket, teammate Alex Caruso said:

"As soon as he shot it, I knew it was going in. That's what he does."

With this victory against the Miami Heat, the LA Lakers are now just 1 win away from lifting their first NBA championship since 2010.

NBA News Update: The Miami Heat are still confident of a comeback

Miami Heat coach Eric Spoelstra hasn't lost heart despite having gone 3-1 down in the series. He was happy with the team's effort in Game 4, and said that the LA Lakers just ended up making more plays in the 4th quarter.

Spoelstra said:

"This was a grind-out, throwback game. Both teams were competing with great force. It's not like anybody was giving up any quarter on either side & you just have to make some plays down the end. I don't think we didn't make plays, I just think they just made more plays."

The Miami Heat's leader Jimmy Butler seemed confident as ever about making a comeback in the series. In the latest NBA news update, Butler said that the team's confidence needs to be at an all-time high in order to get the next win in Game 5.

Jimmy: “Our confidence ain’t going nowhere. It’s going to stay high. I’m going to make sure that it stays high because it’s going to have to be at an all-time high to get this next win.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) October 7, 2020

Only one team has managed to win the series by overcoming a 3-1 deficit (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016) in the NBA Finals. Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will be looking to pull off a similar feat as they take on the LA Lakers on Friday night.

Also read: LA Lakers 102-96 Miami Heat: Twitter erupts as KCP's clutch performance gives LeBron James and crew 3-1 lead in 2020 NBA Finals