The Lakers were in a desperate game 3 scenario, trying to avoid dropping to 0-3. Their mission would be simple, get a lead and maintain it.
With an 8-0 run to start the game, capitalized by a LeBron James dunk, the energy in Crypto.com Arena was electric. They were up double-digits once again at the end of the first quarter, with a 10 point lead.
Their offensive runs would be deflated by Aaron Gordon, who was physical inside grabbing offensive rebounds and making baseline cuts. He was able to keep Denver close heading into half time, only down by four.
As the third quarter started, it was the same old story from the Lakers. Bad offensive possessions lead to scores for the Nuggets on the other end. Their 9-0 run was culminated by a patented Michael Porter Jr. three.
There seemed to be no life behind the Lakers’ players. Once the Nuggets tightened the screws on defense, the game was pretty much over.
A 21-8 run gave the Nuggets an 8-point lead at the end of the third frame. The fourth quarter brought no light for the Lake Show. Michael Porter Jr. went 5-5 from the field, and the Lakers had no answer, losing 112-105.
A combination of a D’Angelo Russell no show, non-existent bench play, and lack of leadership, continue to hinder this Laker squad.
The Nuggets may just be a better team, from their star players to their role players. Lead by their head coach, Mike Malone.
The Lakers are at the opposite end of the stick with a Head Coach that fails to make adjustments when needed, keeping Rui Hachimura on Nikola Jokic, and refusing to insert their size on the bench. Jaxson Hayes played 0 minutes for the Lakers, an absolute enigma considering the Nuggets’ size.
Gordon had 29 points with all of his field goals coming from inside the paint, with his domination early in the game, it is a big question of why there wasn’t a bigger presence inserted in the game for the Lakers, or a defensive switch.
The purple and gold are now down 0-3 in this series and it is hard to see where they go from here. With a game 4 on the horizon, they will be looking for a consolation win on Saturday night.
The Lakers have now lost their 11th straight against Denver. What makes it more grueling is that L.A. had a double-digit lead in six of those games, and a lead at halftime these past three games.
The Lakers are -42 in the second half this series, an unexplainable stat given what the Lakers are capable of when they are firing on all cylinders.
Darvin Ham was at a loss for words after their game 3 loss. “It’s a make or miss League, It’s tough, we have to keep the scoreboard moving.” Once again, “tough” is the only explanation that Ham has for Denver’s unstoppable runs.
The lack of analysis is becoming apparent after these difficult losses where the Lakers continue to have collapses in the second half.
LeBron had similar remarks when explaining their second half woes. “We expand so much energy in the first half, give credit where credit is due, they make tough shot, after tough shot, after tough shot.”
He added on what makes them so “tough”. “This team is well equipped and well prepared, well coached, they do not have a weakness offensively.”
Denver might just have the Lakers’ number, and being able to make life tough on the Lakers is their forte, according to head coach Darvin Ham, and superstar LeBron James.
The Lakers will have to make the impossible feat of coming back from an 0-3 hole. A task that has never been done in the history of the NBA.
Stay tuned for more Lakers news and updates. Make sure to also check out more Game Haus content with groundbreaking news around the professional and esports world.