Will the Los Angeles Lakers ever beat the Denver Nuggets? At least once, maybe two times, if that’s not too much to ask for?
Well, the answer to that question for the past ten matchups has been a resounding, ‘No.’
The Lakers have lost their last ten games against the Nuggets, including the 2023 Western Conference Finals, where they were swept 4-0. The Lakers can’t seem to get out of their own way regarding the Nuggets. Denver has the upper hand, and the Lakers flare up against the defending champions. We’re not sure what it is, but Lakers superstar LeBron James seems to have the answer.
After the Lakers’ 114-103 Game 1 loss in Denver on Saturday night, James told reporters, including Los Angeles Times staff writer Dan Woike.
“We have to play mistake-free basketball,” James said.
That’s pretty much what it takes to beat the Nuggets, or at least to have a fighter’s chance to beat them. The Lakers played that in the first 18 minutes of the game; they looked in a prime position to do so. However, the Lakers could not absorb the punch thrown back by the Nueggts, and everything snowballed from there.
In Game 1, LA got away from what got them that 12-point lead and the mistakes started to pile up.
From missed shots to missed assignments on defense to free-lancing on offense, the game imploded in the third quarter, and the Lakers could do nothing to get back into it.
“We could have been better. I thought we played some good ball tonight, but we could’ve been better,” James said. “We know … we just don’t have much room for error versus this Denver team, especially on their home floor. It’s just a team that’s been through everything. Obviously, they’re the defending champions, so you gotta execute, you gotta make shots, you gotta defend. And then you can’t give them extra possession.”
Game 2 presented a new opportunity to tie the series. Instead, LA blew a 20-point second half lead and now faces an 0-2 hole as the series shifts back to Los Angeles.
The Lakers know what it takes. Now, it’s easier said than done, but they’re capable of getting it done. Others must step up, and the mistakes have been tuned down a notch or 12.
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