With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of action tonight, it was the perfect opportunity for the Denver Nuggets to secure an easy win and protect their place in the standings.
But with news that all five starters will be benched, including Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Lakers just caught a break that could have massive implications for the battles to come. At 51-29, they are in fourth place in the West, one game below the Nuggets and tied with the Houston Rockets.
The total absences for Denver include Nikola Jokic (right wrist injury management), Cam Johnson (right ankle injury management), Jamal Murray (right shoulder impingement), Spencer Jones (hamstring strain), Peyton Watson (right hamstring strain), Christian Braun (right hip flexor strain), and Aaron Gordon (right hamstring injury management).
The Thunder also have a stocked report, with Alex Caruso (rest), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right oblique injury management), Isaiah Hartenstein (left soleus), Chet Holmgren (back spasms), Isiah Joe (left knee soreness), Ajay Mitchell (left ankel injury management), Thomas Sorber (right ACL surgery recovery), Cason Wallace (left great toe soreness), Jalen Williams (right hamstring injury management), and Jaylin Williams (right achilles tendinitis) all being ruled out. Still, as the deeper team overall, the Thunder have the advantage in what will likely be a messy game.
Specifically, with the Nuggets missing Jokic, it’s going to be hard for them to keep up. With averages of 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game on 56.9% sgooting and 37.9% shooting from three, Denver has been reliant on his play all season, and they won’t even have Jamal Murray to help make up for his absence. But given what’s at stake, it’s possible that they might be throwing this game on purpose to avoid the three seed and a first-round matchup with the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat them last year. Or maybe it’s the Spurs, who loom as a major threat.
Regardless of Denver’s motives, a loss for them would be huge for the Lakers, who are looking for any way to extend the season. Without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves for weeks, their only path to a title this year is if they can survive long enough to fully heal, and securing that third seed might help them pull it off. Besides home court advantage, the Lakers can go into the series with confidence, knowing that they’ve avoided the path of most resistance.
In an ideal scenario, LeBron could lead them through the last two games and through the first round, pushing the series to 6 or 7 games so that Luka and Reaves could return to full strength. Even that outcome is wishful thinking, and it would hardly guarantee victory in the next round, where they would likely face the Spurs. Still, they’ll take all the help they can get right now ahead of their latest showdown against the Suns.
More than anything, this move by the Nuggets today reflects just how much is out of the Lakers’ hands. JJ Redick will try everything he can to maximize this group, but it’s not them who is striking fear across the NBA. The Thunder and Spurs are the squads to beat right now, and teams like the Nuggets are having to get creative in their attempts to keep up.
