The Los Angeles Lakers faced a familiar enemy on Saturday night as they chased their 11th win of the season. With a final score of 127-102, the Lakers were able to avoid a losing streak and prove once again why they are a team to fear in the West.
It was 31-27 in favor of the Nuggets after the first quarter, with both sides having started on even ground. Sloppy play early on prevented either team from taking control until a 17-2 run at the top of the second quarter led the Lakers to a six-point lead into halftime (63-57). The third quarter is where things fell apart for the Lakers and they found themselves down by 17 points after a massive Nuggets run. From that point forward, the Nuggets were in full control, and they never let go for a second.
The leading scorer for the Nuggets was Nikola Jokic, who was playing like his usual MVP self with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists on 12-20 shooting. Jamal Murray added 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 41.7% shooting in the backcourt. Michael Porter Jr., meanwhile, had one of his better games this season with a stat line of 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10-15 shooting (66.7%).
On the other side, Anthony Davis, finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the loss while shooting a season-low 31.6% from the field. LeBron James was also off with just 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists on 41.2% shooting, while Dalton Knecht tallied 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist on 3-7 shooting (42.9%).
It’s no secret that the teams were anticipating this matchup and the Lakers were eager to show their growth against a team they’ve lost to several times before. So in a matchup that includes superstars, champions, and NBA veterans on both sides, the Lakers managed to come out on top mainly due to several big factors on the court.
Sloppy Basketball Gave Nuggets A Window
The story of the night for the Lakers was their bizarre turnovers, which may have cost them the game. They threw the ball away throughout the game either on miscommunications, lost handles, or lazy passes. The Nuggets were able to capitalize off the mistakes and pull away in the second half with a big lead.
This season, the Lakers have been one of the best turnover teams in the NBA (they rank 3rd-best at 12.6 per game), but their offense was all over the place tonight as the players seemed completely disconnected.
Of course, credit also goes to the Nuggets’ defense who were able to shut the Lakers down in the final 24 minutes. By the end of the night, the Lakers totaled 15 turnovers, which accounted for 31 of the Nuggets points.
No Answer For Nikola Jokic
You can’t talk about the Nuggets without talking about Nikola Jokic, and he was the catalyst behind the Lakers’ downfall tonight. He finished the game with 34 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block on 60% shooting. Among other things, he made an enormous impact with his scoring and playmaking on the floor.
Jokic’s dominance opened up the floor for the Nuggets and empowered the 50-17 run that blew the game open. By the final buzzer, the Nuggets shot a ridiculous 61.8% from the field and 48.1% from three.
The 2x MVP was in his bag tonight and singlehandedly outperformed the Lakers’ star duo. For whatever reason, Jokic always saves his best for the Lakers, and the Nuggets seemingly have their number like no other team in the league. The Lakers may need to add another big man to the roster if they want to match up better against the Nuggets going forward.
Ice Cold From Three
The Lakers have found the most success this season when their shooters are hitting shots, especially guys like Dalton Knecht, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and LeBron James. Tonight, however, the whole team was in a major shooting slump, and it prevented them from making any sort of run in the second half.
As a team, the Lakers shot 36.1% from three, compared to the Nuggets who shot 50% from downtown. It was one of the worst shooting performances of the year for the Lakers and one of the worst games of the season for LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who combined to go 13-36 from the field (36.1%).
With shooting like that, it was nearly impossible for the Lakers to win the game, especially once the Nuggets built a double-digit lead down the stretch. Head coach JJ Redick needs to do a better job of feeding his shooters (namely rookie guard Dalton Knecht) and putting them in a position to get hot during the game.
For two teams with such an elaborate history, it’s no surprise that tonight’s showdown was highly intense and you could tell that both teams wanted to win right out of the gate. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they fell apart in the second half and allowed the Nuggets to run away with the game and never look back.
These two teams won’t see each other again until February, but the Lakers only have two nights off before heading to Phoenix for a matchup against the Suns at 10:00 PM EST at Footprint Center. The following night, they complete a back-to-back set with a game against the Spurs at Frost Bank Center at 8:30 PM EST. The Lakers end the week with a match against the Thunder in the NBA Emirates Cup at 10:00 PM EST at Crypto.com arena.
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