The Los Angeles Lakers secured the 7th seed with a win over the Pelicans on Tuesday, meaning a matchup against the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the first round. Looking ahead to the series, Nuggets coach Michael Malone kept it brutally honest on why his team has no fear coming into the match.
“We swept them last year. We swept them this year,” said Malone, via Harrison Wind. “They come in playing really well and hungry. They want to flip that script. Our players understand that.”
Most teams would balk at the thought of facing LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the opening round, but the Nuggets are more equipped than most to handle the Lakers. For starters, Jokic always brings his best against this team with averages of 20.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 27 games for his career. As a well-balanced team with size, experience, and depth, the Nuggets match up well against the LeBron’s crew and they already know what to expect given their prior playoff encounter last season.
“We know them, they know us,” said Malone. “We know what to expect.”
The Nuggets’ dominance over the Lakers goes beyond their series sweep last year. The Lakers are 0-9 against Denver over their past 9 games. In their last three, the Nuggets won by 10 points or more. The matchup is so bad for the Lakers that even LeBron James admitted that the Nuggets have their number.
To draw them in the first round is a killer blow to the Lake Show, who were hoping to make another deep playoff run this year. But now, tasked with stopping Nikola Jokic, the Lakers may not even get out of the first round despite all the fighting they did to get here.
Nikola Jokic Hosted Lakers Watch Party With Nuggets Teammates
The Nuggets didn’t know who they’d play until the final day of the season, but they were watching to see how it played out. The Joker even hosted a watch party to catch the Lakers vs. Pelicans play-in game live.
“Nuggets players watched the Lakers-Pelicans play-in game together at Nikola Jokic’s house last night,” wrote Bennett Durando on X. “The coaching staff got together separately and watched while eating Blue Pan Pizza.”
Jokic himself personally invited each of his teammates over to watch the game play out and drink Rakija, a Serbian liquor. The whole game became a bonding experience for the Nuggets and it should help prepare them for the fight ahead. Funnily enough, even the coaches got together during Tuesday’s play-in game to eat pizza and keep up with the identity of their future playoff opponent.
Of course, while some teams actively try to avoid certain matchups, the Nuggets are content to face whoever is in front of them. As the defending NBA champions, the Nuggets are above trying to manipulate their first-round opponents. With Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. leading the way, Denver is feeling no stress about their playoff chances and they are feeling good about their odds against the Lakers.
With the size, talent, and star power to answer everything the Lakers throw at them, the Nuggets know what they can do and they are embracing the challenge that comes with beating LeBron James and the Lakers for the second straight year.
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