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3 Things Lakers Must Do To Avoid Losing 12th Game in a Row vs Nuggets on Saturday Night
The LA Lakers looks down and out in the ongoing series against the Denver Nuggets but they still have a chance to make a comeback against the Nuggets. Let's find out how.
LA Lakers are on the verge of getting knocked by the Denver Nuggets in back-to-back NBA seasons. The Denver Nuggets were favorites going into this series but very few people expected them to sweep the Lakers again as they did last year. After losing game 3, the Lakers are facing an early exit but unlike others, I do feel they can mount a comeback if they can make certain changes going forward in the series. It’s not going to be easy for the LA Lakers to win four games on the trot, but there are mountains to be climbed.
1. More Defensive Energy Is Needed in the Second Half of the Game
The Lakers and their mediocre gameplay in the second half is the story of the series. The record champions stunningly started all three games and built sizeable leads only to put it down the drain in a sloppy way in the second half of the game. The Lakers need to be firmer in the second half if they must get back in the series.
For some reason, they played at a reduced pace and after making the Nuggets struggle in the first half, they gave easy points in the second half and showcased no defensive solidity. If you want to know why the Lakers are down 2-0 in this series, look no further than their second-half collapses in both losses.
It feels as if the lead in the games made them complacent and the Nuggets took advantage of it in every game. If they do that once more, they won’t have any games left to play in the season.
2. Rotation Is Key to Making a Difference
A worrying pattern for the Lakers is that they have not performed as well as the Nuggets bench, which is generally regarded as a shallow group. For the most part, because of their energy, on-ball defense, and rebounding, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson have been the two best bench players in the series.
The only reserve player making an offensive contribution for the LA Lakers is Taurean Prince. With Hachimura and D’Angelo Russel ghosting in the series, he can be given a start to contain the Nuggets defensively and that will offer some more offense from the bench for the Lakers in terms of Hachimura or even Delo as their best games this season have come from the bench.
In the 23 minutes that Spencer Dinwiddie played, the Lakers were outscored by 21 points. In the 23 minutes that Gabe Vincent played, they were outscored by 10 points. Neither player has yet to attempt a shot. Jaxson Hayes hasn't even tried. To have a chance to get wins in the rest of the series, Darvin Ham will have to come up with a more suitable matchup and utilize his bench in a better way.
3. More Defensive Pressure on Jokic
Nikola Jokic is arguably one of the best offensive players in the league right now, but the same can’t be said about his defense. In the third game of the series, Jokic was in early foul trouble as he received two fouls in the first three minutes but instead of going after him, the Lakers didn’t put enough pressure on him, and he ended up getting almost a triple-double to lead his team to another win.
To get anything out of the series or even the next game, the likes of Anthony Davis and LeBron James will have to keep going after the defending champion for every second they are spending on the court, the less time Jokic plays, the better it is for the Lakers. Getting Jokic in foul trouble should be the way forward because stopping him on the offensive end is almost impossible for any team.
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