After failing to put away the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter in Game 2 at Ball Arena in Denver on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers will head back to Crypto.com Arena for Game 3 and Game 4 in hopes of turning things around in the Western Conference Finals.
Coming into this playoff series, the Lakers’ biggest concern was how to contain two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, and after two games and two losses, head coach Darvin Ham and his coaching staff remain baffled about how to slow down the Nuggets superstar.
One way Ham has tried to shake things up is with changes to the starting lineup, but LeBron James believes it doesn’t matter who is in the team’s starting lineup, as he made abundantly clear after Game 2 via Spectrum SportsNet.
“It really doesn’t matter at this point who starts or who comes off the bench just about how we can get it done and win the game.” @KingJames expresses the importance of winning over everything. pic.twitter.com/o1J4wXK1Yh
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 19, 2023
With two games in the books and two losses for the Lakers, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Nuggets may be the better all-around basketball team.
There’s no question that the Lakers are the better defensive team with the best defensive player on the floor in superstar forward Anthony Davis, but the Nuggets have been relentless in their attack and have taken advantage of inconsistent play by Los Angeles.
Jokic continues to put up incredible numbers in this series as he recorded his second straight triple-double in the Western Conference Finals with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists on Thursday.
The Nuggets superstar is proving to be the difference in the series and has inspired his teammates like Jamal Murray to elevate their game, with the star guard scoring 23 points in the fourth quarter in Game 2 to put Denver over the top.
NEXT: Kendrick Perkins Has A Harsh Message For Lakers After Game 2 Loss
