The Los Angeles Lakers and Head Coach Darvin Ham are in an all too familiar position.
They are down 0-1 to the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and looking for solutions to two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
After the Nuggets swept the Lakers in last year’s Western Conference Finals, getting off to a hot start seemed vital to their success in the series. Instead, they blew a 12-point lead and could not overcome a mid-third-quarter swing from the Nuggets, losing 114-103.
“I think it started at the end of the second, at the end of the first half,” Ham told reporters on April 20. “Them going on that 22-11 run, whatever it was, it was – s*** – it’s tough. A championship team is not going to beat themselves too often. They may start off a little slow, miss some shots here and there, turn the ball over every now and again.
“You can’t beat yourself. We got to step up.”
To Ham’s point, the Lakers were minus-10 in paint and second-chance points. They were minus-7 in fastbreak points.
“One of the most glaring things is those guys getting, what was it, 15 offensive rebounds, yeah, for 18 points? So you can’t allow them to get multiple possessions. Got to try as hard as you can as a group to gang rebound and hold them to one possession.”
The Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers 49-40 on the night.
Darvin Ham Name-Drops Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray After Lakers Loss in Game 1
Getting outrebounded only matters if the opponent capitalizes. Ham noted how well-equipped the Nuggets are to do just that.
“They got guys that see the ball go in once, it’s going to go in twice. And, obviously, [Jamal] Murray, he’s out there by himself. He’s a handful. When he’s out there with Jokic, they’re a handful together. Jokic going to try to make every – gonna make every play, not try – every smart basketball play to mankind. So us, we just have to be more disciplined, more perfect.”
Murray finished with 22 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and a block.
Jokic tied Anthony Davis with a game-high 32 points, adding 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
The duo combined to shoot 51% from the floor and 5-for-12 from beyond the arc. Murray’s struggles in the first half undermined what could have been an even bigger night for him, while the Lakers – and the rest of the league, for that matter – continue to lack answers for Jokic.
Both teams struggled from beyond the arc in the first half.
But the Lakers’ woes continued into the second half as the Nuggets caught fire, outsourcing the visitors 27-12 from deep after halftime.
Lakers Could Get ‘Key Boost’ Back for Game 3 vs Nuggets
While the Lakers are focused on getting revenge in Game 2, their Game 3 outlook may get slightly rosier following news of reinforcements behind Davis, who logged more than 44 minutes in Game 1.
“Lakers F/C Christian Wood is planning to return to action in Game 3 vs. the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in LA, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on April 21. “A key boost to Lakers frontcourt. Wood, out since Feb. 14 due to knee injury, has averaged 7 points and 5.1 rebounds this season.”
Wood is scoring an average of 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 50 games with one start this season. He has not been in a game since February 14, however.
It is not clear how much of an increase he will offer.
