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! 

Lakers Edge Out Nuggets to Take 3-1 Lead

Final Score: LAL 114 DEN 108 - Lakers Lead 3-1

Welcome in to the full recap of Game 4. The Lakers bounce back after being punched in the mouth in Game 3. The Nuggets remained resilient behind a strong performance from Jamal Murray. But, it wasn't enough as the Lakers hold on to a 114-108 victory to take a commanding 3-1 lead.

This is familiar territory for the Denver Nuggets. But, I'll get to that later in a bit. This is a great bounceback win to regain some momentum. Like I said, in the last game, the Lakers looked lethargic and showed no energy until late in the 4th. Tonight, whatever the adjustments were late in that Game 3, they carried it over and it worked for the most part.

If you followed the game, Frank Vogel made the biggest adjustment by inserting Dwight Howard in the starting lineup. Second chance opportunities proved to be the difference maker as the Lakers dominated the Nuggets 25-4 in second chance points. Dwight was at the epicenter of that, leading the Lakers in the rebounding category with 11 boards to go with 12 points. I liked his activity, especially on the offensive glass and it made Anthony Davis' lack of rebounding this game reasonable. Dwight's energy coupled by AD's hot start set the tone for the Lakers.

Speaking of AD, I've mentioned it before, he has to be big for the Lakers in this series. Last game was a mixed perfoemance totaling up points, but lacking rebounds. Tonight, it was more of the same, but with Dwight playing well in the boards, there was not a lot of pressure for AD to crash the glass. Nonetheless, I liked that he was aggressive early on in this game, scoring the Lakers first 10 points. He went a perfect 7/7 before missing his first shot at 3:28 in Q2. He went on a mini cold streak, but picked it back up getting to the line and getting the Nuggets into foul trouble. Nikola Jokic and Paul Millsap getting into foul trouble was another key for the Lakers to get this win.

As sensational as Jamal Murray was this game, the Lakers remained level-headed with the veteran leadership they have. We mentioned Dwight Howard's activity early on. Playoff Rondo came alive in the 3rd quarter and finished with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. LeBron, I thought looked a little too passive tonight with his shot. But in the waning seconds of the game, he was in attack mode and drew the assignment on defending Jamal Murray, shutting him down in crunch time. The funny thing is, after Game 3, the Lakers sent a memo to the NBA about LeBron's lack of free throw attempts. He went to the line 7 times and shot 11/14 from the stripe.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the unsung hero of the game and arguably this entire series. Last game, he missed a wide open game-tying three and pretty much sapped all of the Lakers' momentum at a rally. Tonight, he redeemed himself with a big bucket in the 4th to give the Lakers a 103-96 lead at the 5:13 mark. As much flak as we give KCP, he's been the most consistent role player in this series. It's just in the clutch, can the Lakers trust him to take that big shot? Nonetheless, KCP finished with 13 points. He's averaging a solid 14 PPG this series.

Some concerning parts of the game: does anybody know when Danny Green is going to show up? He's been underwhelming in these series and the Lakers could use 20+ point eruption from him. Just a thought. Secondly, I'm sure we've all been paying attention to the lowkey Kyle Kuzma vs. Michael Porter Jr. matchup. As solid as Kuz has been, I have to take the blinders off at the fact that MPJ is a really bad matchup for him. You have a rookie bench player outplaying a 3rd-year bench player. Not to take away from Kuz, he was okay offensively with 10 points. But on the defensive end? Not good, especially tonight with MPJ faking him out twice.

Lastly, we gotta be concerned about AD's ankle this game. He landed awkwardly on Paul Millsap in the 2nd half and clutched his right ankle (or is it his left). He was able to finish the game strong, but definitely it is something to monitor until Saturday for Game 5.

The good news, the Lakers are up 3-1. The bad news? When the Nuggets are down 3-1 in these playoffs, they turn it up a notch and come back to win the series. Perhaps, this is the notion why the Lakers going up 3-1 is somewhat bipolar for some of us fans because Denver has the tendency to come back from these deficits, especially in the last two series. The Lakers can't get carried away because for this Nuggets team, they will fight to the bitter end. This series is far from over as long as they have a chance. For the Lakers, all they need to think about is just one more win. As Kobe would say: "job's not finished." To bring up a boxing analogy, the Lakers must go for the knockout blow and not let this go to a full 12-round judges' decision. To translate, take care of business in Game 5 and don't let this Nuggets go the distance again. I'll see you guys on Saturday for Game 5.

Lakers Fall; Nuggets Respond in Game 3

Final Score: LAL 106 DEN 114 - Lakers Lead 2-1

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.

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 Weekly Roundup #14: Onto the All-Star Break

While everybody is spending Valentine's Day with the love of their life today, the only date that basketball fans have is NBA All-Star weekend. The break couldn't have come at a better time, but teams were not out of the woods yet. That bodes true for the Lakers. There was still business to take care of before LeBron, AD, and Dwight Howard head to All-Star weekend. Let's see how the team fared in this week's special Weekly Roundup.

02/10: vs. Phoenix 100-125 [W] (40-12)

Oh, the poor Suns. They showed a lot of promise early on this season when it looked like the franchise was turning the corner. Heading into the break, they find themselves under .500 again. To make matters worst, while AD dominated with 25 points and 10 rebounds, it was Rajon Rondo doing the most damage. Playoff Rondo came to play this game, dropping 23 points and connecting on four 3-pointers. Literally, the Suns' defense was daring him to shoot and they paid for it big time. On another side of note, Dwight Howard had 14 points and 15 rebounds off the bench. He's outplayed McGee during this stretch at Center. As for the Suns, at least Devin Booker is an All-Star after Damian Lillard strained his groin.

02/12: @ Denver 120-116 (OT) [W] (41-12)

What a way to close out the 1st half of the regular season! It doesn't get any better than this. The two best teams in the West going head to head. LeBron and AD going up against Jamal Murray and the Joker, Nikola Jokic. It was a game of momentum swings as the Nuggets jumped on the Lakers to a fast start. Then, the Lakers went on a massive run spearheaded by LeBron and AD, the energy of Alex Caruso, and the hustle and defense from Dwight Howard. Dwight again has proven his worth. He and AD were frustrating Jokic all game long. Jokic this game was relying on drawing contact, hoping the refs would blow their whistle. They weren't having it this game. The 4th quarter and OT presented a classic finish to this game and the Lakers behind the clutch 3-point shooting from AD. This game showed the Lakers aren't waiting on "Playoff Mode" to be activated this year. They've been sloppy. They've been emotionally strained during this stretch of the season. But this gutsy victory in Denver to go up 2-1 against a team that is a legitimate threat is a great game to build off of heading into a much-needed All-Star break.

Lakers Weekly Roundup #8: Funked Up

Success at the top doesn't come without any adversity the rest of the way. As the season ramps up with more games heading into the New Year, it'll get harder from here. Further success must be proceeded with caution. The Lakers are on a tremendous start 24-3 heading into this week. As Anthony Davis mentioned, this team vows to never lose a game back-to-back. Saying it is easy. Doing it presents a bigger challenge. And quite frankly, the Lakers were due to overcome a little adversity at some point.

12/17: @ Indiana 102-105 [L] (24-4)

It was a homecoming for coach Vogel after a few years of coaching the Pacers to a pair of Eastern Conference Finals appearances. The road streak was fun while it lasted. With the way the Lakers are keeping games close, this was bound to happen eventually. Although, there's no denying that the presence of Anthony Davis was sorely missed. The Lakers ruled out AD after he tweaked an ankle on Sunday's win against the Hawks. The Pacers may be missing their best player in Victor Oladipo, but they aren't no pushover because of how head coach Nate McMillan gets the best out of the talent he has. As expected, the game was tightly contested all the way. In the 4th quarter, the Lakers looked like they about to pull away with a minute and thirty left in the game. But the Pacers kept roaring back behind the efforts of Malcolm Brogdon and a beastly performance from Domantas Sabonis. LA had all kinds of chances to regain momentum and pull out the victory...if they made their free throws down the stretch.

Free throws down the stretch cost the Lakers this game. Despite the greatness of LeBron James, he has been shooting poorly from the free throw line as of late and it showed this game with no AD to bail out the team. As for Dwight Howard, great throwback performance from him with a 20 point game and a perfect 10-10 field goals. But, when you have to rely on Dwight to make free throws in the clutch, you are bound to lose. Indiana kept the window open for the Lakers, but the Lakers could not capitalize because of their own mishaps. LeBron went 0-6 from 3-point. Rajon Rondo was atrocious this game, but you let him take the potential game-tying shot. As mentioned Dwight stepped up as well as Avery Bradley, chipping 13 points this game. You'll probably not see them perform like this on a night-to-night basis. Next game against the Bucks raises the stakes in this heavyweight fight on Thursday night as two of the best teams look to bounce back from tough, streak-breaking losses.

12/19: @ Milwaukee 104-111 [L] (24-5)

NBA fans are in for a treat for a possible Finals matchup. Lakers and the Bucks. The King and the 'Brow battle the Greek Freak, the reigning, defending league MVP. This had all the makings of a heavyweight fight. 12 rounds of boxing converted into 4 quarters of basketball.

And the Bucks win by unanimous decision! Let's be honest, the Lakers could not stop Milwaukee's three-point shooting. When you have Giannis hitting threes, you know you're in big trouble. He hit five threes this game. Five threes! And he also picked his spots against the Laker defense. Poor KCP was thrown into the fodder having to guard the "Greek god of the deer." AD and LeBron guarded him in some spurts and did well. It boggles my mind why we couldn't cancel out Giannis' length with either of those guys full time. Well, AD in particular. We all know LeBron needs his rest. It also doesn't help that the Lakers' 2nd unit scored a whopping 4 points compared to the Bucks' 34 points lead by George Hill's 21 points. They were literally playing five on ten this game and I'm surprised they almost rallied. Key word "almost." They just couldn't stop the precipitation of threes.

12/22: vs. Denver 128-104 [L] (24-6)

The four words that we all don't want to hear prior to this game: LeBron James is OUT. The reports say that he has a strain on his back. Well, literally LeBron and AD are carrying this team throughout the duration of the season. When their backs give out, the purple and gold are in a lot of trouble. Unfortunately, it was LeBron's back that gave out. When he goes, so does the flow of this offense. And it showed this game. I'm not going to say much, but Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma's return carried this Lakers team this game. Outside of Rondo, the Lakers could not find ways to move the ball and create shots for the team. 19 assists has got to be a season low for this team. The offense was literally give AD the ball and make him do work. Oh, and he aggravated his ankle injury. Meanwhile, Denver controlled the pace of the game and dominated flat out in the 2nd half with ball movement and spacing. It's a small sample size, but without LeBron as the primary floor general, this offense staggers.

With the Lakers' recent skid, other top teams in the West are slowly creeping up for the top seed. Denver and Houston are back in the race. You know who else is? The dreaded Clippers. The only thing that's stopping the Clippers from overtaking the entire conference is their affinity for load management. The last thing the Lakers need in this anticipated rematch on Christmas Day is their top stars hobbled with injuries as LeBron and AD are questionable for that game. Just like last Christmas game, I can guarantee you that this game will also be a fortune-changing game for the Lakers.

Lakers Weekly Roundup (03/10): Disneyland & Cancun Mode: Activated

*Some NSFW language*

Wave the white flag! Throw in the damn towel! By the looks of how this March is going, it looks like the Lakers will be eliminated from playoff contention for the sixth straight season. Playoff Mode was activated, but the Lakers did not purchase the full version of it. As I said, this month was going to be integral for the Lakers to run the table and win out despite that fact that this stretch is their toughest test of their playoff-bound fortitude. However, by the looks of what transpired this week, it's time to stick a fork in these Lakers. This is your Lakers' Weekly Roundup.

03/04: vs. LA Clippers 113-105 [L] (30-34)

HIGHLIGHTS

As if the start of March can't get anymore pathetic for the Purple and Gold. This was a MUST-WIN for the Lakers as they are about three games back from the Clippers for the 8th seed. Any win against little brother affects playoff implications and helps the Lakers creep closer to within striking distance for the final playoff spot. I was not surprised that they drop this game. Let's spot the Lakers this: Brandon Ingram was hurt this game from carrying this team. To lose him in a desperate time like this is a microcosm of how the season is dwindling in a downward spiral since the decisive victory against Golden State in December. Prior to this game, Ivica Zubac provided what should've been major ammo for the Lakers. He basically said that he was having more fun with the Clippers than he did with the Lakers and these Clippers are "locked in" with their eyes on the prize of the postseason. Back in the day, teams will take this as bulletin board material and try to make their former teammate's life a living Hell. Not today in this day and age of the NBA.

In this game, both the Clippers and Lakers were pretty much neck and neck. Though the close game doesn't overshadow any lowlights on the Lakers' end, particularly centering around LeBron James. You know it's bad when Kuzma has to push you to play D. Or it's bad when you let the ball roll across the timeline, pick it up, and try to pull up from deep and it rattles out in an epic fail fashion. Or when you're infatuated in passing the GOAT on the all-time scoring list rather than leading the team to a much-needed W. Oh and outside of Rondo, the supporting cast wasn't any better either.

The Clippers ultimately pulled away as Lou Williams did what he usually did in the 2nd half, take over the scoring. This was an all-around team win for the Clippers, something that is missing in the Lakers' English language dictionary as of late. As the Lakers try to gear up against the current #2 seed Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, it looks like they'll be even more shorthanded as Kyle Kuzma sustained an ankle injury late in this game. This is March Madness for the Lakers and not in a good way as those playoff chances continue to dwindle.

03/06: vs. Denver 115-99 [L] (30-35)

HIGHLIGHTS

Congratulations LeBron! You've surpassed Michael Jordan as the #4 all-time leading scorer in league history. One GOAT overlapping another GOAT, that's great. Now, the previous ruler of Laker Land that spanned a 20-year reign stands in your way. Honestly, it'd be super bipolar when LeBron passes Kobe on the all-time scoring list. Well, there goes 15-minutes of greatness personified. Let's not distract us from the fact that you went 0-4 from the free throw line to start and finished with a 38% shooting from the stripe. GOAT! Or when you did the same thing in the Clippers game where you rolled the ball across the timeline and lost control of it resulting in a turnover. GOAT! Destroying the upward trend of this team after an improved 35-47 campaign. GOAT! Proving me right that there would be baggage on you when the Lakers planned on bringing you in. GOAT! "But, ma groin." "I have no help." "Luke sucks." Not a single thing changes the fact that you're still a stat whore and chemistry killer that we grew to disdain even beyond the head-to-head wars vs. Kobe. Be lucky that a shortened season, Ray Allen, Kyrie Irving, and the league saved your legacy from being the best player in the world to never win a championship.

To no surprise, the Nuggets took advantage of the Lakers' lack of depth with injuries to Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Lonzo Ball. Though they almost did choke it away in the 2nd half. Let's be honest, they were on a losing skid because of shit like this. They couldn't close out a game for a team that's currently the #2 seed in the West. The Lakers had every chance to come back. But, stupid turnovers, missed shots, missed free throws, just a typical night of the Lakers throwing opportunity away. As if this team couldn't get any toxic, Rajon Rondo sat away from the rest of the team, next to some courtside fans as the game winded down. To make matters worse, now Brandon Ingram wants out of LA according to some rumors. I thought the Lakers cleaned the dysfunction out by firing Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak, but it's clear as day, that they let the dysfunction back in. As the Lakers continue to plummet down the standings, Lonzo Ball may not return at all this season. Maybe because LaVar is holding him out until Luke Walton gets the axe. And LeBron might be on a minutes restriction going forward. "Play Off" Mode activated.

03/09: vs. Boston 120-107 [L] (30-36)

HIGHLIGHTS

Let's get to some serious news first: Brandon Ingram will be loss for the rest of the season due to a deep venous thromosis (DVT) in his right arm. At this point, it's not clear if B.I. will pick up a basketball again. I'm no doctor, but anything related to blood clots has to be taken seriously. Chris Bosh's NBA career was cut short due to this kind of ailment. And it's quite sad that Ingram's scoring rampage since the All-Star break comes to a screeching halt like this. Especially, since this jeopardizes his young career. All we can hope for is B.I.'s speedy recovery and that this condition will not be recurring that he may have to step away from basketball for good. Godspeed B.I.

Now onto this game, with all the injuries, the playoff chances for the Lakers are dead at this point. They took so many L's at the beginning of this month against more of the better teams (with the exception of Phoenix). And the schedule ahead is still difficult for the Lakers to pull off a miraculous playoff push. Their next obstacle is against their arch-rival Celtics. This is not the same Celtics team that the Lakers played. After the beating they put on Golden State at Oracle on Thursday, one can assume those "Ugly, Green Leprechauns" have finally figured things out and turned the corner. Honestly, that team is at full strength while the Lakers had a patchwork "Fab Five" of Rondo, Caldwell-Pope, James, Wagner, and McGee. Despite a competitive first quarter, it was inevitable that the Lakers had no shot against a Celtics team at full strength. The only good things to take away here here is that Moe Wagner went off for 22 points and LeBron, of course, got his triple-double stats. Honestly, I would've rather saw Wagner develop as the Lakers' long-term "Stretch 5" this season. It doesn't make sense that you'd spend a first round pick on that guy and then trade for Muscala mid-season to fill in that role. Then again, he missed significant time at the beginning of the season with an injury. That hurt his growth. But at this point, let his feet get wet as this point from here on out is team evaluation to see who's good enough to the roster cut next season.

Lakers Weekly Roundup (12/02): Bad Nuggets, Free Tacos (Except Friday)!

*Some NSFW language*

Playing in Staples Center, there are two things Laker fans expect: 1) a win 2) free tacos from Jack-in-the-Box. It doesn't matter if the Lakers are blowing an opponent out by 30 or 40 points. If they don't hold opponents to under 100, Laker fans in attendance will not be too thrilled of going home without free tacos. This is your Lakers Weekly Roundup!

11/27: @ Denver 117-85 [L] (11-9) 

HIGHLIGHTS

Talk about a Mile High asswhoopin'. The Nuggets avenged their October loss by putting a curbstomping on the Lakers. Kudos to them, they had a well-balanced game.The defense suffocated the Lakers ability to play at the fast pace they wanted. The tone was Nuggets basketball, especially in the 2nd half. They blew this shit wide open and the Lakers couldn't do anything about, especially when they were missing a lot of shots. It was not the ideal Denver homecoming for JaVale McGee as he put up his worst outing of this breakout season with just a mere 2 points. We'll let Denver have this one as they needed something to spark this "rivalry" as they're always at the short end of the stick. The Nuggets have shown a lot potential as a playoff contender. The question remains whether or not they can sustain that success, especially down the stretch.

11/29: vs. Indiana [W] 96-104 [W] (12-9)

HIGHLIGHTS

The Lakers have a four game home stand starting with this game. They should take advantage of this. The first quarter was thing of beauty this game. You see what happens when the Lakers go full throttle on both ends of the floor? The activity was awesome as the Lakers generated turnover after turnover. Stop after stop. Going the length of the court for easy, unselfish buckets. They didn't allow Indiana to score their first bucket like 5 minutes into the first quarter. They got the Pacers pounded into submission with a 13-32 first quarter. This should be a decisive W. Victor Oladipo is not there pick up the slack. Then, all of a sudden that lead became a distant memory as the Pacers made a huge run. We were all like "not this shit again" as this is textbook example of the Lakers' inability to play with a big lead. LeBron ex Machina came in to save the day at the expense of the Pacers the same way he was able to do back in Cleveland. Free tacos for everyone!

11/30 vs. Dallas 103-114 [W] (13-9)

HIGHLIGHTS

As the Lakers got themselves to a fast start he previous day against the Pacers, they got themselves to a really slow start this game. Dallas came in and punched them right in the mouth. Luka Doncic blocked LeBron not once, but twice early on this game. Seems the student has surpassed the master as Doncic grew up idolizing LeBron. However, Karma strikes those who lay their hands on the King...twice.  Proceed to be shut down by Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram the rest of the way. Doncic shot a terrible 2-13 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc. There's no question this rookie is a star in the making though. Lonzo Ball continues to establish himself as a severely underrated perimeter defender, generating 5 steals. First team all defense awaits. The Lakers may have won this game, but they lost the tacos as they couldn't lay their hands off the Mavericks down the stretch. Seriously though, those tacos from Jack-in-the-Box are only 99 cents. I'm sure Laker fans can squeeze one more dollar if they paid $500+ for a ticket.

12/02 vs. Phoenix 96-120 [W] (14-9) 

HIGHLIGHTS

The Suns started off with a 17 point lead this game? Never noticed. Phoenix got themselves a great start this game as they fired on all cylinders in the first quarter. As much of a confidence builder this was, the Suns truly remembered who they were onward: trash disguised as an NBA team. I'm pretty sure the Lakers just spotted them a 17 point lead before they started putting the clamps on Phoenix from the 2nd quarter till the rest of the game. LeBron and Kuzma combined for 45 point and the bench got a much-needed big contribution from Michael Beasley. Holy hell, it took 'em awhile to finally put him in the rotation. Another big factor this game was that Devin Booker was limited to just 6 points this game. I'm sure Lonzo Ball once again had to do with that with his 4 steals this game. In all seriousness though, the Suns still can't get it right despite having a promising young core. How many more tanking seasons do they need to get back to being relevant? In other news, it was good to see Moe Wagner get some action with 10 points. Nothing says welcome to the NBA when JaVale McGee and Tyson Chandler get hyped for your first points in the NBA. Hopefully he finds his way into the rotation. I saw some really good glimpses in garbage time. Free tacos for everyone!

*UPDATE: Clearly I missed Devin Booker's injury late in the 2nd quarter. Looks like he re-aggravated that hamstring injury.*

Lakers Weekly Roundup (10/28): "Two Wins, But Still Can't Beat the Spurs!"

*Some NSFW language*

Welcome in to the first edition of the Lakers' Weekly roundup. So, our Lakers carried on without Slenderman and Rondo Rousey (for 75% of this week). This wasn't a bad week for Showtime reincarnate, but they couldn't find a way to beat the San Antonio White Walkers lead by the Pop King. Let's see how they fared for the week:

Oct 22: vs. San Antonio [L] 143-142 (OT) (0-3)

Full postgame recap HERE

Once again, the defense had a lot of problems as they allowed the Spurs to drop 40 points in the first quarter. KuzMania ran wild to lead the Lakers back so did LeBron with a game tying three. Unfortunately, we were introduced to the old glory days of LeBron turning from "LeClutch" to "LeChoke" as he missed key free throws down the stretch, which set up the Spurs to steal one in LaLa Land.

Oct 24: @ Phoenix [W] 131-113 (1-3)

HIGHLIGHTS

Finally Luke! It took you long enough to insert Josh Hart in the lineup over Kentavious Caldwell-Poop. The lineup changes translated in a W over the hapless Suns, which saw unlikely contributions from JaVale McGee, Shaqtin' a Fool legend with 20 points and 4 blocks and Make 'em Dance Lance Stephenson with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists off the bench. Then again, this win is against the lowly Suns who despite having a promising young core are still having all kinds of problems. GM fired. More injuries plague Devin Booker. I wouldn't be surprise if this team also tanks for Zion Williamson next year. Jeez, how many first round picks do y'all need? Well, trust the process Suns fans. Whatever floats your boat. Maybe your team pulls a Philadelphia 76ers down the line.

Oct 25: vs. Denver [W] 114-121 (2-3)

HIGHLIGHTS

The Lakers come back home to take on the previously undefeated Nuggets after they put a curb stomp on the Suns. The Nuggets just came off an early signature win against the arrogant fucks from the East Bay and dismantling the Queens. Tough test for the Lakers indeed. But, in the words of the late Dennis Green, the Nuggets "are who we thought they were," a fringe playoff team at best in the West. King James pierced a "Lance" on their promising start, taking down the Joker (Nikola Jokic) and his henchmen, while earning his first triple double in the Purple and Gold. Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball was a thief in the night with 5 steals and a cold blooded assassin with a step back 3 at the end of the fourth to put the game away. Hmmm...maybe LiAngelo could learn from his big bro to steal. Steal balls on the court, not steal fake Gucci products in China off the court.

Oct 27: @ San Antonio [L] 106-110 (2-4)

HIGHLIGHTS

Rajon Rondo's Shaqtin' Moment

The Lakers are riding high after a slow start. They can get to .500. They could redeem themselves from Monday's lost against the Spurs by beating them in San Antonio. Rondo is back, they're almost at full strength. Unfortunately, that didn't bode well for coach Walton and his Lukewarm rotation. I mean cause playing two pass first guards in the same lineup works right? Lonzo probably partied a little too hard for his 21st birthday being a non-factor all game. Well, the good thing here is that LeBron surpassed the Master of Awkward Basketball in Dirk Nowitzki on the all-time scoring list. Congrats LeBron. But sorry Rondo had to trigger your PTSD of J.R. Smith in the finals as he passed up a wide open layup for a contested three. The definition of an open layup in the clutch does not exist in the dictionary for Rondo. Then again, Lakers had no timeouts, so I can definitely see why he did that. BUT STILL, WTF WAS THAT LAST PLAY? I think DeMar DeRozan found the right team to break the LeBron jinx he couldn't overcome in Toronto. Oh wait, there's still a lot of games to play.

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.

Lakers Drop Pivotal Game vs. Nuggets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com*

Brook Lopez lead the Lakers with another 20+ point performance with 29 points, but the Lakers couldn't hold off the hot shooting of the Nuggets, losing 116-125. Julius Randle added 18 points and Kyle Kuzma chipped in 14 points to add to the starting front court. Meanwhile in the backcourt, KCP racked up a near double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds and Lonzo Ball recorded a near triple-double of 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists to go with 4 steals. I.T. lead the 2nd unit with 10 points and 4 assists.

Final Score: @ Denver 116-125 [L]
Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20180309/LALDEN#/recap

Next Game: vs. Cleveland (03/11) <-- b="">*Will provide Open Thread, but likely just take over in the 2nd half and Full Recap posts*

Highlights: *Courtesy of MLG Highlights*

The Lakers really do miss Ingram and Hart to close games out. I'm gonna make this commentary as quick as possible since I'm going to be busy all day long. This is a game that the Lakers need to get to stay in that hunt for #8 seed, which the Clippers are holding onto now. But, Denver knew what was at hand fumbling that 8th seed away and this was a must-win for them. Heading into this game, the Nuggets' 3-point shooting would be a problem for the Lakers. Right out of the gate, they were on target from deep. Lakers scratched and clawed back in and lead, but they fizzled out momentum-wise. It didn't help that they looked really pedestrian in the closing moments of the 4th quarter. In the end, the Nuggets with Millsap, Jokic, Murray, Barton, and Harris sealed this game away with some key plays on both ends of the floor to deny the Lakers a late rally. Let's talk about Jamal Murray for a bit. I totally forgot about this, but in the Lakers and Nuggets first meeting, Denver won by a big margin and Murray dribbled the ball around Lonzo in the final seconds. Randle and the others took offense to that. This game, he got Luke and KCP heated. Both games, Murray played well and backed up the showboating. Somewhere in the locker room, Jamal Murray's picture should be bulletin-board material for Tuesday's match against this Nuggets team. This thing is not over yet. But first things first, the Lakers have to regroup against the Cavs on Sunday. Clarkson and Nance returning to Staples Center since the trade. I.T. going up against LeBron after the drama this season prior to the trade, it's gonna be some night and it's going be another big game for the Lakers' aspiring playoff hopes. I could miss the first half since I have somewhere to be. But, I'll make it time to provide coverage for the 2nd half and the full recap. Both threads will be open though. I'll see you guys for that game.

Lakers Collapse Down the Stretch vs. Nuggets

*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and Yahoo Sports*

Brandon Ingram lead all Lakers in scoring with 20 points, but the Lakers went into full meltdown mode in the 4th quarter, falling to the Nuggets 100-115. Brook Lopez had a bounce back game with 15 points after being held scoreless in the last few games. Julius Randle lead the 2nd unit in scoring with 15 points and Jordan Clarkson added 12 points. Kyle Kuzma returned after missing the Warriors game and notched 13 points and 10 rebounds in his return.

Final Score: @ Denver 100-115 [L]

Full article: http://www.nba.com/games/20171202/LALDEN#/recap

Highlights: *courtesy of Ximo Pierto*

Add two more things that are certain in life: the Lakers blowing opportunities in close out situations and notching a road win besides Phoenix. If you look at the last three games, the one thing they have in common is that the Lakers were riding a lead, but they couldn't close it out. This game last night  turned out to be a nightmarish collapse down the stretch. So many silly turnovers were committed in that 4th quarter. Most of them were unforced errors or the Lakers trying to make the home run play. Lonzo Ball put too much air on a full court pass out of Brandon Ingram's reach. Julius Randle puts the ball over Ingram's hands in a lob attempt. A pass slips out Kuzma's (or Clarkson's) hands. Offensive fouls. Too many steps. The loss was more of the Lakers shooting themselves in the foot once again rather than Jamal Murray going off for 28 points or Will Barton coming alive in the 4th quarter despite a poor start shooting the ball. The Lakers are a young team no question and the mistakes will be made. But, Luke Walton's gotta put a point of emphasis on this team about closing out and a rehash of basic basketball fundamentals. The worse part is that the Nuggets were missing Nikola Jokic, Wilson Chandler, and Paul Millsap this game. Think about it, Lakers couldn't capitalize on Blake Griffin leaving the game on Monday against the Clippers. They couldn't capitalize on Steph Curry's shooting woes on Wednesday against the Warriors. And last night, they couldn't capitalize on a short-handed Nuggets roster. This team has to learn how to close out. Period. Some positives of the game though: Kuzma notched a double-double in his return. The Lakers dominated the Nuggets in offensive rebounding and 2nd chance opportunities. Josh Hart, 9 points on three 3-pointers, those threes helped build a lead the Lakers fumbled away down the stretch. But, turnovers and failing to protect leads, this young Lakers team has to start learning or this formula's gonna continue, which will lead to more gut-wrenching losses like this and the last two games against the Clippers and the Warriors.

*Lakers-Rockets Quick Fact Check and Commentary Will Be Available Tomorrow Night*

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.

Lakers Collapse vs. Nuggets

Alright welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' game vs. the Denver Nuggets where the Lakers put up a good fight in their return home from the 4-game Grammy road trip, but the effort just wasn't enough as the Lakers fell to the Nuggets 106-96.

Very uninspiring game to watch on national TV with both teams having long losing streaks, but the Nuggets just snapped that just now. With the way the Lakers started and lead, it could be safe to assume that they got this in the bag, but this is not 2008-2011, no Laker lead is safe anymore. As usual, the lack of talent, lack of consistency, and insurmountable injuries are playing a factor, so no surprise that the Lakers would clamp down the stretch, especially when they don't have anyone on the floor who has experience in leading a team to victory in crunch time.

The Positives

Carlos Boozer, 21 points, 10 rebounds, 8-15 shooting. Nowadays, Boozer is the one leading all scorers and putting up consistent number off the bench. He may have started slow this game, as he was struggling to get a shot up, but he came through in the 2nd half in vain. Instead of settling for jump shots, Boozer was getting to the basket, making layups look easy. He faked out J.J. Hickson big time in one play for the easy deuce although it was clearly obvious Hickson thought there was help defensively. Booze played his heart out tonight, hustling and scoring off the bench.

Wayne Ellington, 18 points, 8-13 shooting. He started out near perfect, missed a couple of shots to lower his percentage, but I thought Ellington played a clean game out there. To describe it, he was more patient with his shot selection and eluding defenders to get a cleaner look at the basket. Like I said in the halftime post, he showed more fundamentals and by doing so, he made high percentage shots. So kudos to Ellington for improving his game tonight. Hopefully, we can see that on a day-to-day basis.

The Negatives

Turnovers. The Lakers barely turned the ball over in the first half. In the second half, it was a whole different story. As bad as the Lakers are right now, those killers turnovers have been seen a lot and this game was just another example of imploding when the team is just about to rally. Lin accounted for half those turnovers with 5 of the Lakers' 10 and some of that resulted from either dribbling too much or trying to make a desperate pass.

Nick Young, 12 points, 4-12 shooting. Will the real Swaggy P please stand up? He'll score double figures, but the numbers are not going to be that impressive with the way he is shooting as of late. Of course he had the highlight 4 point play, but other than that, nothing from him all game long. The bench is good, but the bench is much better when he is scoring at will and at some point, he has to have one of those games. He's the 2nd option in scoring besides Kobe right? Then, he's gotta live up to that.

Conclusion

Overall, it's the game pattern. Lakers make it competitive, but when the player on the opposing team scores 30 or more, the game is loss and in this case, they got burned by Ty Lawson big time. As a Laker fan, I'm not surprise because he has given headache performances like that in the past. Lakers lose again, water is wet, simply put, it is what it is. The Lakers go on the road again tomorrow to take on the Trail Blazers, so expect a quick recap for that considering it's not nationally televised. I'll see you guys after the All-Star break.

02/10: LAKERS vs. Denver Nuggets Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

Score: DEN 106 LAL 96

Ty Lawson is just a thorn in the eye for the Lakers' defense. It was a good effort for the Lakers to try and tact on a win after debacles in the Grammy's road trip, but the lack of talent and the hamper of injuries showed for this Laker squad. Another loss, and yet it is for a common good to tank and get the top pick. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

Score: DEN 71 LAL 70

And the Nuggets have gotten their act together offensively. At one point, the Lakers' lead was 52-59 and after that fast break dunk by Tarik Black, the Lakers couldn't get anything going offensively and Ty Lawson kicked it into overdrive and did what he has done to us countless times in the past, blowing past our guards and scoring. Luckily, an and 1 by Boozer and jumper by Young are some of the plays that are keeping the Lakers hanging right now, otherwise with the way the Nuggets played this quarter, it would've gotten out of hand.

Q2:

Score: DEN 45 LAL 48

The Nuggets are hanging around, despite some piss poor play from the starters. The Lakers though, they're getting a lot of second chance possessions + points as they are just completely wiping the floor in the rebounding game and that's the reason why they have the leverage right now. We had a JAVALE MCGEE sighting. Talk about the Nuggets playing desperate. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

Score: DEN 24 LAL 29

In a matchup against two of the bottom dwellers in the West, a good start for the Lakers offensively. They started with 7-0 run, I thought the offense looked very sharp. The Nuggets offense then got going after a timeout by B. Shaw, but I thought the offense has been consistent all quarter long. Wayne Ellington played a big part in that, getting off to a good start with 11 of the Lakers' 29 points. Other than that, just a good start for the Laker offense, getting it going early. It's just what the doctor ordered.