NBA Finals: How the Lakers shut down a Miami Heat comeback

The Los Angeles Lakers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals by leaning on the thing that has defined their greatness all year long: defense. The Lakers not only held the Miami Heat to 96 points, their lowest output of the postseason, but they did so with a key tactical adjustment -- putting Anthony Davis on Jimmy Butler -- that suffocated the man who torched the Lakers in Game 3.

Let's take a look at how they pulled off this critical win and what it means heading into Game 5 on Friday (9 p.m. ET on ABC and the ESPN App).

The Lakers looked inevitable

Davis was the primary defender on 11 shots against Butler on Tuesday, per ESPN tracking, after defending just four shots from Butler in…