The Los Angeles Lakers were up 11 points on the Denver Nuggets in Game 2, but they failed to keep that momentum going for the long run.
Jamal Murray and the Nuggets caught fire in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers failed to shoot their way back into the game.
That was what ultimately led to the loss, according to Shannon Sharpe, who blamed the Lakers’ three-point shooting woes and their stars’ inability to take over.
“LeBron had one of his worst games, missed 3 layups and is shooting entirely too many 3s.”
— @ShannonSharpe pic.twitter.com/OB7wfDzUQD
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 19, 2023
Sharpe pointed out that Murray had almost as many points (23) in the fourth quarter as the entire Lakers team (24).
He also explained that you’re not going to win a lot of games when your two best players — LeBron James and Anthony Davis — combine for as many points (37) as the other team’s second-best player (Murray).
Sharpe also cited some tough luck and bad breaks for the Lakers’ missed shots, some of which just went in and out or rimmed out.
The Lakers knocked down eight three-pointers in the whole game, and the Nuggets made seven three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone.
That’s not a winning formula in today’s game, especially if neither Davis nor James is being aggressive in the restricted area to dominate from close range either.
The Nuggets have done an outstanding job of keeping the role players out of sync, and this version of LeBron James simply cannot go off for 40+ points a night like he used to back in the day.
Ultimately, it might be up to Davis to bring his team back in this series, but he needs to be way more aggressive.
NEXT: Skip Bayless Says 1 Lakers Player Can't Be Trusted In Game 3
