Welcome in to the recap of Game 3. After a heartbreaking loss in Game 2, the Denver Nuggets came back emphatically. Lakers tried to rally in the 4th. But it was too little too late as they lose 106-114.
Definitely, that 4th quarter was a tease. This game wasn't close than what the scoreboard indicated. The Nuggets dominated this game, especially in the 3rd quarter. The Laker defense changed it up to the 2-3 zone out of desperation. It worked for the most part as they forced six consecutive turnovers, capitalized on points off of them. It was a good rally, but you can tell it knocked the wind out of them running on both sides of the ball in a matter of seconds. As soon as KCP and Kuz missed those potential game-tying 3s, it sapped out a lot of energy.
I mentioned the Lakers only had two problems to deal with: Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. If the Nuggets had a third option, that's a problem for the Lakers. And tonight, Denver had a 3rd and 4th option. To go with Murray's 28 points and Jokic's 22 points, Jerami Grant stepped it up with 26 points. Monte Morris lead the bench with 14 points.
Denver overall created a lot of problems on both ends of the floors for the Lakers. They attacked the paint early on and it easily opened up their 3-point shot. They capitalized on the points off turnovers. The last time I checked, the Nuggets racked 21 points off 12 Laker turnovers. I would say 60% of the Lakers turnovers were unforced errors. The rest was good defense from the Nuggets. Regardless, the Nuggets found that blueprint in Game 2 and made sure that it hurt the Lakers early on. They were on their A game. The Lakers, out of desperation, caught them off guard with a late 2-3 Zone defense. But, they were able to weather the storm since the Lakers tired themselves out.
As for the Lakers, I mentioned the turnovers as a negative this game. For three quarters, they looked like they were hungover from Game 2. They did jump off to an 8-2 start. Their last lead was 18-16 at the 4:22 mark of Q1. After that though, it was all Nuggets.
Anthony Davis probably had the most mixed stat line you can ask for: 27 points, but only 2 rebounds. He got punked in the boards. I also recalled Jokic dropped him this game early on for a bucket. In other notes, he also missed all four of his 3-point attmepts. This was a hangover game from AD. After a game-winning three in Game 2, he followed with a highly questionable stat line right there.
Not only did the Lakers look hungover, they were sapped off of energy through 3 quarter of the game. I would say Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo were the most energized while everyone else went through the motions. LeBron had his typical stat line with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. 'Bron definitely picked it up down the stretch, scoring 8 of 12 points as the Lakers cut deficit to a one possession game. We wish we had a time machine to bring in 25 year old LeBron. But he's 35 now and he was gassed running on both ends of the floor during that spurt.
During that furious Lakers run, KCP and Kuz deflated it with their missed 3-point shots. 12 points for KCP, he's been playing well as of late. Kuz had 11 points, he's also solid. But as role players, if you're wide open, you gotta make your shot. That was inexcusable on both possessions where the Lakers had the potential to tie up the game. KCP had a high percentage shot and missed. That's inexcusable. Kuz hesitated and loss some of that rhythm when he reloaded and nobody was contesting him the first time. That's inexcusable. The Lakers scratched and clawed back. Denver was caught off guard. Yet, the role players wet the bed when they needed to step up.
Good effort in the 4th, but it shouldn't have come to that if they weren't outplayed for three quarters of the game. With this loss, Denver just regained some of their swagger back. I said it in the last game, you don't want to give this team any signs of life. This is officially a series and they were able to quickly forget the heartbreaking loss in Game 2. The Lakers now gotta respond with more urgency for Game 4 as the pressure is now on them. I'll see you guys later.
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