Back to the NBA Finals! Lakers Close Out Resilient Nuggets in 5

Final Score: DEN 107 LAL 117 - Lakers Advance 4-1

WE ARE GOING TO THE NBA FINALS BABY! Gosh, it's been awhile since I was able to exhuberate this much energy as a Laker fan. The Lakers showed the Jazz and little brother Clippers how it's done. They close out the Denver Nuggets with a 107-117 win to complete a third gentlemen's sweep to advance to the NBA Finals, their 32nd overall in franchise history.

First, hats off to the Denver Nuggets for a great series and an amazing postseason run. They have been resilient throughout these playoffs. Two consecutive 3-1 playoff series comebacks speak for themselves. They will be a dangerous team for years to come as Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic hit their primes. Michael Porter Jr. is a solid young piece to the core. Bol Bol has a lot of untapped potential. Will Barton should be back. And Mike Malone is a great coach. Full credit to them. They gave the Lakers all they can handle.

But right now, it's just not their time. The Lakers' veteran experience engineered by LeBron James took over. It was "winning time" as LeBron would say in Game 4 regarding his closeout assignment on Jamal Murray. Without question, he was the MVP of this game with a triple-double of 38 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists and barely turned the ball over this game. 

Nikola Jokic being in foul trouble early on was big factor for 'Bron going off. He smelled "blood in the water" and just imposed his will into the paint as soon as Jokic was subbed off the floor. Not only that, but he recognized a hobbled Jamal Murray and forced that switch to have Murray guard him and it was a lot for Murray handle. LeBron was vintage especially in that 4th quarter with back-to-back and 1s. He completely took over in the final three minutes and sealed up this game.

As I said, this Nuggets team was not easy to take down. The Lakers did a good job defensively on them in the first half. Nobody on that Denver squad reached double digits in the first half! But in 3rd quarter, the Nuggets' role players stepped up. Jerami Grant struggled early, but caught fire that quarter. Dwight Howard's flagrant foul on Paul Millsap gave Denver even more momentum. Markieff Morris made a dumb turnover attempting to throw an outlet pass to AD. That allowed Denver to tie it up at 84 a piece.

But the Nuggets never saw the lead since starting 12-7 in the first quarter. After they rallied in the 3rd quarter, Anthony Davis made a last second three to allow the Lakers to regain a little bit of the momentum that was lost there. AD finished with 27 points to go with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. It was a frustrating first half for AD. But like he occasionally does through these playoffs, he shows up big in the 2nd half on both ends of the floor. Hobbled ankle and all, he still put up numbers.

The supporting cast overall stepped up even if they don't have gaudy numbers. Alex Caruso definitely stood out with 11 points off the bench. He was stagnant the last two games. But, he was much more active to score, cutting to the lane and converting defense to offense in transition. Despite the foul trouble and the flagrant foul, Dwight Howard gave a solid 9 points and 2 blocks in big minutes and he shot well from the free throw line. We harped on Danny Green too much. Even though he didn't erupt this game, he did all the little things, giving a pair of backbreaking 3s over the Nuggets and notching one of his two blocks on Jokic. The cast did all the little things that needed to be done.

Nothing more needs to be said. But bring on either Boston or Miami! Could you imagine if the NBA Bubble Restart to the 2019-20 season ended with a Lakers-Celtics Finals matchup? Think about it. It's the NBA's historic rivalry. It'll be a rematch 10 years in the making. The Celtics are the last team that the late great Kobe Bryant beat in the finals. Winning against them for championship #17 would be poetic justice as the Lakers would tie them for the most championships in NBA history.

But the reality is, Boston has their work cut out against a very unselfish Miami Heat team. Despite being the 5th seed, they have outclassed every team in the East, especially knocking off the mighty Milwaukee Bucks. Bam Adebayo is cementing himself as one of the league's best big man. Tyler Herro looks like a seasoned vet than a rookie. Goran Dragic has been big in this postseason. Jimmy gets buckets. They made a huge move to add Andre Iguodala for championship pedigree. That team is lowkey deep.

Regardless, either team is an interesting matchup for the Lakers. One matchup is prestigious in the league's history. The other doesn't have as much prestige, but there are legacy storylines that will be explored. Especially the same 10 years ago, LeBron ushered in a new era of super teams by "taking his talents to South Beach." The Heat groomed him into a champion. It might potentially come full circle. But for now, the Lakers are back where they belong and are four wins away from regaining basketball immortality. Let's get it! Let's go! 

Anthony Davis FTW! Lakers Overcome Late Nuggets Run to Take 2-0 Lead

Final: DEN 103 LAL 105 - Lakers Lead 2-0

I need to catch my breath on this one. Welcome in to the recap of Game 2. The Lakers escaped with a 103-105 win to take a 2-0 series lead. As it went down to the wire, LA lead by as many as 8. Then, a mini Jokic run sparked the Nuggets and the took the lead in the final seconds. No timeouts. Alex Caruso could've gone from hero to scapegoat. But Anthony Davis saves the day with a cold-blooded three with 2.1 seconds left to lift the Lakers to victory!

Incredible finish! Let's get the negatives out of the way. The turnovers were magnified in this game: 23 total turnovers from the Lakers. Credit to the Nuggets defense. They were much more active this game. Mike Malone changed up the defensive disguises, even inserting PJ Dozier to draw those offensive fouls and give the Nuggets a chance. The Lakers also found themselves in the penalty with the fouls in the 2nd half, which allowed Denver to hang around.

Last game, Dwight got the best of Jokic. Tonight, Jokic answered back as Dwight got into foul trouble 5 times. He was more aggressive tonight. The Laker defense made the "cardinal sin" to double him and he lived up to the Joker moniker. He was unstoppable down the stretch and outworked Dwight and AD in the middle. Michael Porter Jr. and Monte Morris sparked the Nuggets' 2nd. Denver had all kinds of chances to get this game, but missed timely 3's and missed free throws from Dozier came back to bite them in the end.

Though LeBron James accounted for the first 12 points for the Lakers, he struggled down the stretch. He tried going for the "knockout" shots, but he was missing badly and didn't attack the basket enough to get it going again. Nonetheless, LeBron finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds and still had an efficient 10-20 shooting. 

The defense also laid back in that 2nd half. In the 1st half, they were flying around, swarming the Nuggets with active hands and shot blocking. 2nd half was a completely different story as they were late on rotation and committed some silly fouls. 

Now onto the better part of the game. Alex Caruso was a human highlight reel tonight: breakaway dunk, layup with his vision blocked. His spark made up for the stagnant 2nd unit tonight. Chris Webber and Reggie Miller were throwing jokes, comparing him to Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and George Gervin. He missed that 3 at the end and if that was the final play of the game, he would've lost his GOAT status for sure. Nonetheless, Caruso played well with 9 points, 2 steals, and a block.

For the 2nd game in a row, Anthony Davis was the MVP for the Lakers. He's going to get docked for a pedestrian first half, But in the 2nd, he was more aggressive. When the Lakers needed a bucket as Denver made their runs, AD responded time and time again tonight. But without question, he responded big time with the game-winning 3-pointer over Jokic. Let's rewind back prior to the league suspension: Lakers were playing the Nets. AD had a wide open look from three to win the game and missed. Tonight, it was very similar. Same spot from the 3-point line, different outcome. He actually got free with a screen on Mason Plumlee. Rondo inbounded the ball. Jokic was late to help. And the 'Brow sunk the Nuggets to put them out 0-2 in this series. AD finished with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

There is something about those Black Mamba jerseys whenever the Lakers wear them. They pummeled the Blazers and Rockets to death. Tonight, it was a stone-cold dagger to the heart of the Denver Nuggets. This was a dissppointing loss for the Nuggets because they had the Lakers in their grasp. In the 2nd half, Lakers were very uncharacteristic, but they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. How this loss affects Denver's psyche is in question. But, I still wouldn't count them out. This is a team that came back from two consecutive 3-1 deficits. With the adjustments they made in Game 2, they will definitely polish those in Game 3. The Lakers need to continue to stay the course and not give this team any signs of life. There was a lot of things to clean up after this game, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. I'll see you guys later.

No Joking Matter: Lakers Handle Nuggets; Get First Game 1 Win

Final Score: DEN 114 LAL 126 - Lakers Lead 1-0

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 1. The Lakers typically have given away the first game of each playoff matchup in the bubble. But tonight, they showed that they meant business being a series win away from the NBA Finals. They manhandled the young and determined Nuggets in a 114-126 win to take a 1-0 series lead.

First off, I want to dedicate this post to my late dad. Today is his birthday. I lost him fairly recently and this is a first birthday without him. He too was a die hard Laker fan since Magic, Kareem, and Showtime. Somewhere he is smiling with the Lakers winning on his special day. Happy birthday dad and I miss you everyday.

Onto the game, did I foretell everything in my preview on this game? I said the key for the Lakers was to slow down the two-man game of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. They had to be physically upfront with Jokic especially and they had the perfect counter with AD. And tonight, this was a flawless gameplan to slowing down those two. Though they still played well scoring, they didn't have too much fun on the defensive side of the ball. Both of them got into foul trouble. The Lakers did a nice job sealing off Jokic's passing lanes as he was limited to just 2 assists. Denver's role players felt the lack of ball movement. The Nuggets' offense was just stagnant all game tonight.

Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard were like Batman and Robin stopping the Joker from going on a rampage. I'll get to AD's impact in a second. Dwight didn't play in the Houston series sans Game 1, but was reinserted back into the lineup and made an immediate impact. He kept Jokic in check and was very active in using his hands, crashing the boards and forcing the Nuggets to foul often. Final stat line for Dwight: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 16 minutes off the bench.

The bench unit was solid tonight. They outplayed the Nuggets' 2nd unit. Rajon Rondo has been very instrumental in getting the unit in tact. Rondo had 7 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals. To add to it ZERO turnovers. I thought he handled the ball well and put the Lakers' cutters in best positions to get a high percentage shot. Markieff Morris stayed hot from 3-point land with 9 points on 3-4 shooting from deep. Alex Caruso did all the little things on the defensive end, despite no eye-opening numbers on the stats sheet.

For the starters, KCP had a great game scoring-wise with 16 points. Danny Green struggled with his shot, but still showed up on the defensive end with 2 steals and a block. Now we get to the main event: Anthony Davis, MVP of the game. I said in the preview, the Nuggets are facing a skilled big that has no limitations on both ends unlike what the Jazz and Clippers have. All eyes would be on AD this series. Tonight, LeBron and Rondo found him early and often in the paint and rewarded the Lakers with 37 points and 10 rebounds on 12-21 shooting. He may have struggled on the free throw line, but the Nuggets had their hands full on the 'Brow all game long.

In the 2nd quarter, we had a little bit of a scare with LeBron as he rolled his ankle on Jerami Grant as he drove to the basket. That will be something to monitor as the series progresses. But it didn't affect him too much as he was able to get up and throw down in spurts during this game. He was fine tonight, but the next few days, we'll see how that ankle is. The King finished with 15 points and 10 assists and left the game early at the 2:05 mark of the 4th quarter to get treatment on that ankle.

The Nuggets ran into a wall tonight and the Lakers' plethora of veterans with Conference Finals experience was on full display. Denver is not facing the Jazz or the Clippers anymore. This is a Laker team that is all business. Granted, we can't underestimate this team. The Lakers knew they were a 2nd half team and made the proper adjustments tonight to ensure the Nuggets don't go on a mega run in the 2nd half. It especially helps when Jokic and Murray were hampered by foul trouble. We should expect this Nuggets team to respond in Game 2. Lakers need to stay level-headed and cautious to keep this young team to stay down. I'll see you guys on Sunday for that game.

Lakers Playoff Preview: WCF vs. Denver Nuggets

Welcome to the Western Conference Finals preview with the Lakers and Nuggets set to square off for the right to go to the NBA Finals. Yeah, this is a matchup that nobody expected. But a certain LA team did not live up to their end of the bargain. Alright, enough with the Clippers slander. I saved that in the previous post, so this preview solely focuses on the Lakers-Nuggets matchup.

This is quite an improbable run for the Nuggets. "Quit" is a demoralizing word. But it doesn't exist in the dictionary for these young Denver Nuggets, the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit twice in one postseason run!

The "never-say-die" attitude of these Nuggets is spearheaded by the duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. They have been nothing short of magnificent of putting the team on their backs in "win or go home" situations. Michael Porter Jr., the rookie has elevated his play to provide a spark for the 2nd unit. And Mike Malone has done a masterful job coaching this young, yet deep squad and making the necessary adjustments when the stakes get high. 

With the way the Nuggets have played in elimination games, the series is never over with them. The Jazz and the Clippers have learned that the hard way. You think this team is down and out? That's all the fuel that this team needs and Murray and Jokic turn it up a notch. Mike Malone becomes more active and vocal, coaching on the sidelines and placing the rest of the personnel in best positions to succeed. I'm not going to be one of those fans that thinks this series will be easy for the Lakers. The Nuggets deserve their dues and they're a team that shouldn't be underestimated.

The key for this series is to slow down the two-man game of Murray and Jokic. One is a flame thrower when hot and the other lives up to the "Joker" moniker as an all-around stud. Jokic has been unstoppable in the paint. But let's look at the bigger picture: Rudy Gobert, defensive stud, but very limited on offense. Ivica Zubac, limited on both ends. Montrezl Harrell, undersized. 

The Lakers have the perfect counter for Nikola Jokic: enter Anthony Davis. So far, the Nuggets have never faced a team with a skilled big man on both ends of the floor. All eyes will be on AD this series in his first conference finals appearance. You can expect LeBron to feed him early on. Pound-for-pound, he cancels out Jokic in this matchup. If there's one weakness Jokic has is that he folds when someone outworks him physically. We evidently saw that in the regular season matchups. AD can limit him with no help defense. He also has the complementary big men of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard to keep him fresh. They can hold their own as well. Dwight, especially at his age was able to give Jokic some fits. Jokic initiates the Nuggets offense as the de facto floor general. The Lakers limit him, they disrupt Denver's flow.

Problem number 2: Jamal Murray. He has emerged as the most unguardable scoring guard in elimination games. Again, the presence of Avery Bradley will be sorely missed. But so far, KCP, Danny Green, Alex Caruso, Rondo, and Kuz have held their own defensively. They had to go through a pernnial All-Star scoring and a two-MVPs backcourt. The beneficial part is that Murray doesn't have a partner-in-crime in the backcourt. Will Barton could've been that guy, but he's not in the bubble. MPJ is coming off the bench. Defensively, the Lakers need to take the ball off Murray's hands as quick as possible and make the rest of Denver's supporting cast beat them. They have done a good job on that in these playoffs. If necessary, put LeBron on him, but only for closeout situations.

Experience will likely be a key factor in this series. Outside of Paul Millsap, who has made the conference finals once with the Atlanta Hawks, every other player from the Nuggets are at this stage for the first time. Mike Malone has not coached a team to the conference finals previously. Frank Vogel has twice with the Indiana Pacers from 2013 & 2014. The Lakers have nine players that have played in at least one or more conference finals series:

LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat): 2007, 2009, 2011-2018

J.R. Smith (Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers): 2009, 2015-2018

Danny Green (San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors): 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019

Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics): 2008, 2010, 2012

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets): 2009, 2010, 2015

Quinn Cook (Golden State Warriors): 2018, 2019

Javale McGee (Golden State Warriors): 2017, 2018

Dion Waiters (Oklahoma City Thunder): 2016 

Jared Dudley (Phoenix Suns): 2010

As evident, this Lakers team is filled with veterans that were battled tested at this stage of the playoffs. They will be assets that guys like AD, Kuz, Caruso, KCP, THT, and 'Kieff can rely on when the going gets tough. LeBron and Rondo's leadership will be huge for the Lakers to successfully close out against a team with a lot of heart, willpower, and determination.

This series is not the "Battle of LA," but it is still an intriguing matchup to watch. The Nuggets have played two consecutive 7-game series, but will they have enough left in the tank to magically pull off another one? The Lakers are not the Jazz or the Clippers. They have treated each of their playoff series with a "business as usual" mindset. LeBron has never blown a 3-1 lead. If the Lakers stay in character, by that I mean they don't ease up like in the 4th quarter of Game 4 vs. Houston, they will deny Denver's bid at another 3-1 comeback. Jazz and Clippers got too overconfident against them. Clippers, especially, my goodness. But, the Lakers, they may be having fun, but they're not playing games either, especially with a championship at stake. I say this series wraps up in six. I'll see you guys tomorrow after Game 1.

Lakers Tune Up, Kuz Wins It vs. Nuggets

Final: DEN 121 LAL 124 [W] (52-18)

The Lakers snap their 3-game skid in the bubble as they defeat the Nuggets 121-124 in a potential playoff matchup.

This! This game right here was what we wanted to see from the Lakers as the playoffs inch closer. There's no sugarcoating that despite clinching the #1 seed in the West, the Lakers have been underwhelming, especially on the offensive end. We needed to see signs that the Lakers are ready to face a tough road to the championship. We saw glimpses in the Indiana game. Tonight in what is literally a dress rehearsal for the purple and gold, we saw very encouraging signs.

The only negative I can pinpoint was the free throw shooting this game. Lakers shot 60% from the line if I heard correctly from Kevin Harlan. All I can say, the Lakers hit those free throws in crucial. With the playoffs coming, pressure free thow shooting will be at a all-time high and it's a fixable issue.

Let's move on to the positives because there was a lot tonight. The LBJ-AD duo was on point this game. Anthony Davis shook off the horrendous 8-point performance and bounced back with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The AD we saw out there was the AD we were accustomed to seeing. He was active on both ends of the floor. He made the right reads to cutting teammates when Denver elected to double team him. Last but not least, he was a man among boys during that first half. LeBron James notched a double-double with 29 points and 12 assists. Keep in mind, he was playing with a sore groin. These last two games, I think we're seeing encouraging signs that LeBron is slowly getting his jumpshot and 3-point shooting back. 

Like I said before, the Lakers will go as far as the LBJ-AD duo can take them. The Lakers are hard to beat when this duo balance out their performances. To me, that was the missing link for the Lakers in this bubble. Some nights Anthony Davis goes on and LeBron goes off. Vice versa, LeBron goes on and AD goes off. Shaq said it best in pregame, for a dynamic duo to work, both players have to be on their A-Game. One can't take the night off while the other does all the work. Tonight, we saw a brilliant and balanced performance from the King and the 'Brow.

Some other positives, 3-point shooting improved this game. Lakers have been shooting under 30% percent from deep. Tonight, they shot over 45%. Danny Green struggled for the most part of the game, but be picked in up in the 4th quarter. The bench was productive with an aggressive effort from Dion Waiters leading with 12 points. Markieff Morris and Dwight Howard chipped in with an "8+8" in points. Kyle Kuzma joined LeBron and AD in the 20+ pts club with 25 points and the game winner. I liked what I saw from Kuz tonight. He was aggressive and efficient, shooting 68% from the field.

The last play was a great design from Frank Vogel out of the timeout. Credit where credit is due. He had LeBron inbound to AD. Nuggets were late with their defensive rotation. They were caught in between doubling AD or containing LeBron in motion, which allowed Kuz to cut in between and get himself open for the corner three. 

After this game, I'm gonna say it is likely the Lakers may have found a rotation that works. I know it's pretty small for a sample size. But you have LeBron, AD, McGee, Kuzma, and Green as the starting 5. Coming off the bench is Waiters, Caruso, Morris, and Howard. Discounting Horton-Tucker, the Lakers may have a 9-man rotation that works at the moment. Against the deeper teams, obviously they gotta find some way to incorporate KCP, Quinn Cook, and Rondo when he gets back. But AD and Kuz can play extended minutes. Morris is a plug and play at the 4 & 5 spots. Dion and Caruso can interchange as primary ball handlers when LeBron rests. There's gotta be an "aha" moment in Frank Vogel's mind after this game. 

Of course, that's just a small sample size. The Lakers still got a little more kinks to work out. Going into the final seeding game against the Kings, that would be a game where the role players get an extended look, get some shots in, and fine tune before playoff time. Sacramento is out of the running for the play-in tournament for the 8th seed. Rest LeBron. Limit AD to just one half of play. It's time to start looking ahead to the first round. By all accounts, Portland is the team to look out for. Memphis and Phoenix are inexperienced. San Antonio is not the almighty contender they once were under the great Gregg Popovich. The Blazers will be a handful and could likely give the Lakers a tough first round matchup. I'll see you guys later.

Lakers Turn Tables on Nuggets; Get Last Laugh vs. Jamal Murray

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Denver Nuggets where the Lakers flip the script on the showboating antics of the Nuggets after the last two meetings, beating them 103-112 in their only meeting at Staples Center.

We might have a future NBA rivalry brewing. But, man it's so good to see that the Lakers got back at the Nuggets after two rough outings in Denver. And all of this centered around Jamal Murray. As mentioned in the two meetings in Denver, he dribbled around Lonzo Ball, Julius Randle took exception to it. Last Friday's meeting, Murray got Luke Walton and KCP heated. The Staples Center crowd gave Jamal Murray a handful and even showered him with a couple of "Murray sucks" chants. But, this was a very gritty win. The Lakers got off to that hot start in the first quarter. Brook Lopez looked good tonight. Then, it just fizzled out in the 2nd quarter and early part of the 3rd quarter when the Nuggets turned it on on both ends of the floor. But, Kuzma, I.T., and Randle stepped it up down the stretch and willed this team to a win. Lonzo and KCP didn't have it good on the offensive end, but contributed with a couple of clutch defensive plays down the stretch. That took a lot of grit on the Lakers' part to keep playing and find ways to win. No surprises there as they've been doing it all season long.

(+)

Kyle Kuzma, 26 points, 13 rebounds, 10-20 shooting. Major props to Kuzma for shaking off a minor ankle sprain and playing through the 4th quarter where he did most of his damage to Denver. On the play where he landed awkwardly by the end of the 3rd, there was some contact and he should've gone to the free throw line. But, the refs seldom call fouls on the final seconds of quarters and it is what it is. The 3rd quarter, the Lakers couldn't get any scoring to go, but Kuzma took it upon himself to carry that load. He was on target from three. He was able to drive to the basket. His shots looked really good. He didn't rush it at all. Kuz did work on the boards, particularly on the defensive end. Boxing out guys like Jokic, Plumlee, Chandler, and Millsap are a handful.

Julius Randle, 26 points, 13 rebounds, 11-17 shooting. This was a pretty interesting game from Randle. The first quarter, he's a man among boys. The second and third quarter, he was a little too out of control with his footing. Then he's a man amongst boys again in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets defense deserves a lot of credit for frustrating Randle. Randle's biggest kryptonite is if the opposing team implements a double-team on him and knowing how Randle played the last two seasons, those frustrate him the most. But, even the Nuggets know it's hard to stop him if you give him any kind of contact. That's what Randle was able to do to make up for a frustrating stretch at the midway point of the game.

Isaiah Thomas, 23 points, 7-19 shooting. Someone give Nikola Jokic some ankle insurance. I.T.'s quickness and craftiness was just too much Jokic to handle as he doesn't have the lateral quickness to stay on him. I.T. embarrassed Jokic not once but twice in the fourth quarter. Shooting-wise, it was not great for I.T. But, he connected on four big threes to help spark the Lakers' offense outside of Kuzma's big performance. It was just another day in the office for the King of the Fourth in the 4th quarter.

4th quarter defense. The defense came up big in crunch time. The Lakers forced the Nuggets to make all kinds of bad decisions to seal this victory. They disrupted the offensive flow. KCP came up with a couple of key steals, so did Lonzo despite the duo not having a good scoring game. The defense isn't all that pretty, but as long as the Lakers put the clamps when the game's on the line, that's what matters.

(-)

Turnovers. Lakers finished the game with 15 turnovers. Again, some of the turnovers, you gotta give credit to the Nuggets defensive adjustments. They double-teamed when needed, especially on Julius and they were very active with their hands to go for the steals. And then some of them, the Lakers were excessively passing the ball. Lonzo shoulders some of the blame for that. When he was driving, he had all kinds of space to drive to the cup, but sometimes pass-first guards get too passive and that was the case tonight, resulting in a couple of bad turnovers.

Three-ball happy. This was another major reason why the Nuggets completely sapped the Lakers out of some momentum after a hot first quarter start. The Lakers were living and dying by the three to go for the early kill. It's like they wanted to beat the Nuggets at their own game. They did have some good looks though. Travis Wear and Kuz had wide open shots, they just couldn't hit them. I was a little disappointed at Lopez camping out from beyond-the-arc again when he should've looked for his shot inside. He did start 3-3 from three point land though, then all of a sudden he thinks he's Klay Thompson. As mentioned, Lonzo Ball and KCP were way off behind the arc (Ball 1-7, KCP 1-4). Luckily, the Nuggets were no better even though they shoot the three-ball better than the Lakers have all season.

MVP

Kyle Kuzma, 26 points, 13 rebounds, 10-20 shooting 

This MVP vote wasn't even that close. The Lakers' would be sitting ducks without this guy's big 2nd half. Kyle Kuzma carried the offense in the third quarter. He hit a couple of threes in the 4th quarter to help the Lakers pull away even further. Hopefully, that ankle is ok because they're going to need him to put up a game like this tomorrow against Golden State.


Conclusion

31 wins and counting. The Lakers did their jobs and punched the bully in the mouth in the Nuggets and Jamal Murray. This was a good statement win and this is another gritty win tact on to their season. This team just continues to improve and find ways to win game-by-game. Tonight, they did whoever's occupying the West's 8th seed a favor by beating Denver. Tomorrow night, they have a favor asked by Houston to take down the Warriors to further the gap of the #1 seed. So far this season, the Lakers took the Warriors to the limit on the first three meetings, two of them resulted in close OT losses. We can expect this game to be a little different considering that the Warriors are making a playoff push. But, they are missing Curry and a couple of key players. KD, Draymond, and Klay will likely pick up the slack for them again. This is not necessarily a barometer game, but if the Lakers still want to continue make that playoff push and avoid a regular season sweep against Golden State for the first time in a long time, they have to win tomorrow. I'll see you guys back here tomorrow.

03/13: LAKERS vs. Nuggets 2nd Half Open Thread and Discussion

This is the 2nd half open thread of Lakers-Nuggets matchup. As usual, leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game. 

Q4

DEN 103 LAL 112

Well, the Nuggets finally know how the losing side is. This game was a game of runs and the Lakers came out strong at the end. What a quarter by Kyle Kuzma! Took an awkward fall in the third quarter and left with an apparent ankle injury, but he was still able to play it out and continue to score. I.T. took over and put some highlight moves over Jokic to let the Lakers pull away even further. The biggest thing is that the Lakers' defense put the clamps on when needed, forcing some key turnovers from the Nuggets to seal this game. Jamal Murray and the Nuggets may have taunted the Lakers in the first two meetings, but the Lakers got the last laugh and might've put a damp on the Nuggets' quest to reclaim the West's 8th seed with this win. Stay tuned for the full recap. 

Q3

DEN 82 LAL 77

That's a whole lot of contact on Kuzma at the end of the quarter, but knowing the refs, they won't call that. I gotta admit, this quarter was ugly from the start. The Lakers could not buy a bucket while the Nuggets were getting any shot they wanted. Kuzma single-handedly carried the Lakers' scoring for the most part of the quarter. The sad part was that the Lakers were struggling to get stops on the defensive end until the final minute. Chandler and Jokic getting benched was the biggest break for the Lakers leading to this run, which this game pretty much is: a game of runs.

03/13: LAKERS vs. Denver Nuggets 1st Half Open Thread and Discussion

Jamal Murray's a marked man in LA. Welcome in to the first half open thread of the Lakers' matchup vs. the Denver Nuggets. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts on the game.

Q2

DEN 47 LAL 48

Kuzma's bucket was something to salvage in this terrible quarter for the Lakers. Wow, that made the start at the first quarter seem like a distant memory. We gotta give credit to Denver's defense. They made the necessary defensive adjustments and are forcing the Lakers to play a slow, halfcourt pace. Too many turnovers from the Lakers' side is the result. It also has to do was that there was just too many passes. Lonzo in particular accounted for most of the over-passing. The three point game also was a negative in this quarter after it was working in the first quarter. They had good looks, but I'm beyond puzzled why they abandoned the paint game when they were taking too many threes and missing them. They have to feed it to Randle and Lopez inside. I saw a little regression from Randle being out-of-control this quarter. Then again, the Nuggets made the necessary defensive adjustments to put him in a difficult position. The Lakers must punish this Nuggets team inside rather than try to beat them at their own game with 3-pointers. More inside scoring. The 2nd half will open up shortly.

Q1

DEN 22 LAL 35

Strong quarter for the Lakers and strong start to the game. Both the defense and the offense were on point that quarter. Lonzo set the tone on defense with a block on Gary Harris and a couple of steals. Randle set the tone inside. The Nuggets just have zero answer on how to guard Randle inside the paint. Because they can't, they can only hope to contain him. Brook Lopez is hot early from beyond the arc with three 3-pointers made. Everything is clicking right now. Hopefully, it translates to the 2nd quarter.

Six Lakers in Double Figures in Win Over Nuggets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Lonzo Ball recorded his 2nd career triple-double with with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists to go with 2 blocks in the Lakers' dominant 109-127 win over the Nuggets. Brook Lopez lead all starters in scoring with 21 points, KCP followed with 15 points to go with 4 steals, Kyle Kuzma added 17 points, and Brandon Ingram chipped in 13 points with 5 boards and 6 assists. Julius Randle had a monster game off the bench with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists and Jordan Clarkson followed with 18 points.

Final Score: vs. Denver 109-127 [W]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171119/DENLAL#/recap

Next Game: vs. Chicago (11/21)

Highlights: *Courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

With all the scrutiny that Lonzo Ball has face so far in the season, some points are understandable. In most games, he would be too pedestrian. But, when he's aggressive and active on both sides of the ball, he's at his best. Tonight was an example. Ball was back to pushing the pace and finding that balance between scoring to the basket and setting up teammates for easy shots. Defensively, he was active in rebounding and made a pair of nice defensive blocks. In terms of building up confidence, this is exactly what Ball has to do from here on out. He just needs to keep attacking and pushing and just play good sound defense. Overall, that's what the Lakers did tonight. They played impressive team defense and moved the ball well. I saw in the statistic that the Lakers generated 26 total assists on 35 shots. They finished with 36 total assists and limited their turnovers to 15. The important part was that the Lakers were hitting their shots. Brook Lopez struggled last game against Phoenix in his three-point shot, he was able to hit three of them tonight. Kyle Kuzma had an efficient game. Clarkson also had an efficient game. Ingram didn't shoot the ball well, but found other ways to impact the game in the stats sheet as mentioned. KCP and Corey Brewer helped ignited the defense as they both wounded up with 4 steals. Julius Randle definitely stood out tonight. He looked calm and collected out there and playing his game. That's the thing we wanted out of Randle, to play under control. When he does, he's an absolute monster on the floor. Now granted, the Nuggets were a little short-handed.  Paul Millsap left the game early with an injury.  Nikola Jokic was tossed out of the game in the 2nd quarter. But, the Nuggets are still a good team that can score. They had some scoring spurts in this game and the Lakers responded with timely baskets to quell off any potential runs the Nuggets were about to create.