DENVER — Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham’s message to his team entering their rematch with the defending champion Denver Nuggets was to learn from the past and, more importantly, move forward.
That last part will be difficult for the Lakers to do when their tortured history with the Nuggets continues to repeat itself.
In many ways, the Lakers’ 114-103 loss to the Nuggets in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series felt like an extension of the previous eight losses. Nikola Jokić was the best player on the floor, with Los Angeles finding no way to prevent him from scoring easily or generating wide-open layups and 3s for his teammates. Jamal Murray hit circus shot after circus shot. Once the Nuggets ratcheted up their intensity and execution in the second half, they were on a different level than the Lakers. D’Angelo Russell struggled and looked unplayable.
Denver has now beaten the Lakers nine straight times, with little indication that will change anytime soon.
“We could have been better,” LeBron James said. “I thought we played some good ball tonight, but we could’ve been better. We know … we just don’t have much room for error versus this Denver team, especially on their home floor. It’s just a team that’s been through everything. Obviously, they’re the defending champions, so you gotta execute, you gotta make shots, you gotta defend. And then, you can’t give them extra possessions.”
The need to play near-perfect basketball against the Nuggets was a common refrain from James and Ham in the days leading up to Game 1. For the first 18 minutes of Game 1, the Lakers appeared to be doing just that. They led 49-37 with 6:05 left in the first half, precisely executing their offensive sets and powering their way to the rim. They were shooting 61.3 percent at that point; the Nuggets were shooting just 37.8 percent. The Lakers were 16-for-21 on 2-pointers. Anthony Davis and James were dominating the superstar battle, outscoring Jokić and Murray 30-19.
Then, through a combination of Denver’s urgency, the Lakers turning the ball over, failing to keep the Nuggets off the glass and out of transition, playing too much one-on-one and settling for poor shots offensively, the game turned. Denver outscored Los Angeles 77-54 over the final 30 minutes.
“S—, it’s tough,” Ham said. “A championship team is not gonna beat themselves too often.”
The result was another wasted opportunity for the Lakers. This was the game they needed to get to break the losing streak, change the narrative and give themselves a legitimate chance to win this series despite entering it as a significant underdog.
If it didn’t happen last night, will it ever happen?
The Nuggets didn’t play well for more than half the game. A lot went right for the Lakers. Their stars thrived. Yet it still wasn’t enough to produce their first win against the Nuggets in 492 days and counting.
Davis (32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks) and James (27 points, six rebounds and eight assists) both scored at least 25 points for just the third time against the Nuggets during the nine-game losing streak. The Lakers only turned the ball over 12 times, normally a low figure, but one that paled in comparison to Denver’s six turnovers. They dominated the free-throw battle (17-of-19 for LA versus 5-of-6 for Denver). Murray had an off-shooting night (9-for-24).
All of that added up to the Lakers only leading by three points, 60-57, at halftime. Then, the game predictably flipped in the second half, with the Nuggets using a 13-0 run in the second half of the third quarter to assume a double-digit lead and command of the game for good.
Denver didn’t have a turnover in the second half, which is an indictment of the Lakers’ defense and its lack of disruption. For the game, the Nuggets dominated offensive rebounds (15 to 6), second-chance points (18 to 8), turnovers (6 to 12), transition points (21 to 14) and points in the paint (64 to 54).
“We can’t be bad at defensive rebounding and transition,” Davis said. “It’s something that we struggle against this team with since last playoffs. … Once again, that’s our Achilles heel. We have to be better in both departments, if not one.”
James, who had seven turnovers and only scored eight points on six shots in the second half, called out the team’s focus.
“I’ve never played on the championship team and didn’t pay attention to detail,” James said. “There’s no ifs, ands our buts about it. You have to.”
Russell, who finished with 13 points on 6-for-20 shooting, was again the face of the Lakers’ shortcomings versus Denver.
Last postseason, he averaged just 6.2 points per game on 32 percent shooting and 13 percent from 3 against the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. He was moved to the bench ahead of Game 4 and only played 15 minutes.
This season has featured a redemptive arc for Russell, who reestablished himself as an elite shooter and the Lakers’ third-best offensive threat. But that has yet to translate in the Denver matchup, a notable problem for a Lakers team with championship aspirations.
Russell opened the game well, making three of his first four shots. It appeared as if he was finally slaying his Denver demons. But he went ice-cold after the hot start, making just three of his final 16 shot attempts and looking overmatched on both ends by Denver’s perimeter size and athleticism.
The Nuggets targeted Russell, who was often matched up against Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Russell struggles to defend players like Caldwell-Pope that constantly move without the ball, whether it’s curling around screens, slipping and cutting to the basket or keeping Denver’s offense whirring around the Jokić-Murray two-man game. It’s unclear who Russell can feasibly defend in Denver’s starting lineup.
He again may be out of place in this series. The Lakers could stand to use more Spencer Dinwiddie (13 minutes) and Gabe Vincent (eight minutes) in Game 2 to slow down Murray (22 points and 10 assists) and Caldwell-Pope (14 points). Russell is an obvious choice to play fewer minutes.
Despite Russell’s poor performance on both ends, Ham played his starting guard 41 minutes and said he’s going to stand by his player.
“D-Lo is a huge reason why we’re here in the first place,” Ham said. “I’m not going to bail out on my player just because he’s missing the shots that he normally makes. So, same shots were going in against New Orleans and other games that he’s played in to help us get to this point. So, it just wasn’t his night. Shooters are going to have nights like that. But I want him to remain aggressive. That was a good thing, I saw him being aggressive. His energy remained great. He remained positive. So, we’ll go back and try to get better from the film and try to have a better performance Game 2.”
Russell brushed off his performance and said he’s looking forward to Game 2.
“I mean, I can’t be mad,” Russell said. “I don’t recall the last time I got 20 shots. So, for me to get 20 good looks — not 20 ‘good,’ probably five or six of them were questionable. I know what I’m capable of. So, honestly, I’m excited. I’m excited about that.”
Russell, who shot 1-for-9 on 3s Saturday, is now 3-for-24 (12.5 percent) on 3s against Denver in the playoffs.
Los Angeles could also benefit from better mixing up its coverages against Jokić, whether in the form of a new primary defender or in the locations from which they double team and help off other players. Jokić, who had 32 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, shot 8-for-9 with Hachimura as his primary defender.
The Lakers had greater success using James and Davis as Jokić’s primary defender. James, in particular, was able to front Jokić and get into his legs a bit. He’s done the best job against Jokić across the nine matchups.
“I’m sure a bunch of them were contested,” Ham said of Jokć’s scoring over Hachimura. “They weren’t open. The kid’s a hell of a player. Like, you’re going to play great defense, and he’s still going to score. … And yeah, if we have to go to something else, adjustment wise, we do have a couple more things that we can throw at them.”
David said he’s willing to switch onto Jokić full-time if necessary.
“We’ll make a proper adjustment going into Game 2, and, if that means I’m on him for the whole game, then so be it,” Davis said.
With each consecutive loss to Denver, the pressure against the Lakers grows heavier. They’re not just battling the rest of the series, they’re fighting the matchup’s history, too. Each Nuggets win cements that this has been a one-sided rivalry over the past 12-plus months.
The Lakers are remaining optimistic, at least publicly. Ham said he’s convinced this will be a “hard-fought series.” James dismissed the notion that the previous results will lead to LA doubting their chances of winning the series.
“I don’t ever get into it a ‘here we go again’ mindset,” James said. “It’s one game. They protected they homecourt. We have another opportunity on Monday to come back and be better. We know how challenging it’s going to be. We know how difficult this opponent is and how great they are. So, that’s all a part of the game.”
And what exactly gives James the confidence the Lakers can eventually break through?
“Because it’s a seven-game series,” James said.
(Top photo: Andrew Wevers / USA Today)
