The Lakers are in a cliffhanger.
The Los Angeles Lakers fell 105-112 to the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday (Feb. 26).
The loss was the third straight for the Lakers, who are now 0-3 in their playoff series. They are now one loss away from being eliminated from the playoffs.
For the Lakers, Game 2 is bound to be memorable. After dominating the entirety of Game 2, a lapse in focus in the fourth quarter allowed Denver to pull away, and while they had a chance to win the game, they couldn't capitalize and allowed Jamal Murray to hit a game-tying buzzer-beater to give the Nuggets the win.
Game 3 was a chance to bounce back at home, but the Nuggets didn't impress on the night. Early in the game, they had some fun scoring on the fast break after defense to take the first quarter lead.
However, they let up in the second quarter, and the momentum shifted to Denver in the third quarter. After that, they never regained the momentum and lost the rest of the game.
The score was only seven points, but the game was much worse than that. It's safe to say that there was no way out for the Lakers.
Denver's one-two punch of Nikola Jokic and Murray have been flying all series. Add to that the hot streak of Michael Porter Jr. His sudden 3-point offense has become a tricky trump card for the Lakers.
Even Aaron Gordon has been on fire. Gordon scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 3, more than Jokic and Murray. He took advantage of Jokic's defense to dominate under the basket. Gordon's physicality and ability to penetrate under the basket forced the Lakers to play catch-up.
In other words, the Lakers don't have a solution to Denver's offense on defense. They need to find a way on offense.
The three-point shot has plagued the Lakers throughout the series. The Lakers have 토토사이트 been up and down in their three-point shooting percentage. They shot 27.6% in Game 1, 43.3% in Game 2, and 18.5% in Game 3. They missed Game 2, when they shot over 40% from three-point range.
Another problem is that outside of Anthony Davis and LeBron James, they don't have a consistent player on offense. James and Davis have been consistent throughout the three games.
James averaged 26.3 points and 9.3 assists in three games, while Davis averaged 32.3 points and 13.3 rebounds in three games. Both players are playing at a high level.
The problem is that the players who back them up are up and down. Austin Reeves averaged just 14 points and 2.7 assists in the three games, while D'Angelo Russell had a strong Game 1 with 13 points and three assists, a strong Game 2 with 23 points and six assists, and a terrible Game 3 with 0 points and two assists.
When the Lakers were good in the regular season, Davis and James were obviously the stars of the show, but other players played well as well. When the Lakers were on the rise, they had a great guard group, including Reeves and Russell. However, in the playoffs, their guards have been struggling again.
It's hard to see the Lakers turning things around at this point. Both offensively and defensively, Denver has the edge. There are no hidden cards for the Lakers. They're going to have to rely on James and Davis to put up big numbers.
Moreover, Denver's bench is weaker than it was last season with the departure of Bruce Brown, who led the team off the bench last season. Nevertheless, the Nuggets seem to be too strong for the Lakers.
Game 4 between the two teams will take place on April 28 at the Lakers' arena.
