(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers can’t figure the Denver Nuggets out.
Saturday night’s game marked their ninth consecutive loss to Mike Malone’s team, dating back to last season’s Western Conference Finals.
The Nuggets play them with the confidence of a team that knows it’s better than the other one.
Conversely, the Lakers simply can’t hold onto their leads or keep adding to them when they’re up, eventually crumbling under pressure.
Following the loss, LeBron James believes it’s a matter of physicality on the glass, stating that, on top of hitting more shots, the Lakers also need to do a better job of matching up with their big frontcourt (via Spectrum SportsNet).
“It’s a big team. They have a big front court…. We just have to do a better job of trying to get hits and collectively rebound in the defensive glass.” LeBron James tonight’s matchup. pic.twitter.com/rEEd1rUhOe
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) April 21, 2024
Aaron Gordon has frustrated James on defense dating back to last season, and while LeBron has been able to put up his usual stats, they haven’t translated into wins.
As for Nikola Jokic, he’s dominated Anthony Davis in every single one of their recent matchups, and Davis can’t seem to figure out how to stop him.
It’s time Darvin Ham realizes that putting Rui Hachimura on Jokic won’t do much to help their case either, and perhaps he should give Jaxson Hayes a longer leash instead of playing him just four minutes.
The Lakers had a full off-season and half-a-season to try and get more bodies to match up with the best player in the game, but they didn’t, and that might lead to the end of their journey this year.
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