The Los Angeles Lakers uphill battle in opposition to the Denver Nuggets

LeBron James’ proclamation as he obtained up from his cubby within the cramped customer’s locker room inside Smoothie King Heart and turned the nook in direction of the showers sounded extra exasperated than excited.

“I am drained as f—!”, he mentioned. “Oh my God!”

Beating the New Orleans Pelicans in Tuesday’s play-in match recreation earned the 39-year-old James and the Los Angeles Lakers 4 days to relaxation and put together for Sport 1 of their first-round playoff collection in opposition to the Denver Nuggets (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on ABC).

L.A. will want loads of relaxation — and possibly some luck — to get previous the defending champs. Denver has dominated this matchup relationship again to final yr’s Western Convention finals.

James averaged 39.5 minutes and was the first defender on Zion Williamson within the Lakers’ two wins in New Orleans to shut out the common season and earn the No. 7 seed.

“Ain’t no extra tempo,” James mentioned. “Tempo your self for what? It is now a dash. It is a dash now. We already went by means of the marathon.

“I will do no matter it takes. I imply, all the odds and all that s—, it is out the window. The season’s over. So it is about simply profitable. Win the sport.”

It has been almost 500 days for the reason that Lakers have overwhelmed the Nuggets. The West’s No. 2 seed enter Saturday’s recreation on an eight-game profitable streak in opposition to L.A., together with final season’s sweep within the Western Convention finals.

For the Lakers, none of these losses have any bearing. Coach Darvin Ham advised his gamers as a lot after Tuesday’s win.

“It is again to 0-0,” Ham mentioned. “Clearly they’ve had a ton of success in opposition to our ball membership however there’s at all times a brand new day.”

As a lot as optimism is warranted — total, the Lakers have gained 12 of their previous 15 video games — two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets command heightened consciousness.

“Need to play mistake-free basketball,” James mentioned of the collection. “Make it powerful on them. They’ll attempt to make it powerful on us, clearly.”

Why Denver continues to be an enormous downside for L.A.

The Lakers’ frontcourt of Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James — with Hachimura the smallest of the group at 6-8, 230 kilos — is an enormous benefit in opposition to most groups. That is not the case in opposition to the Nuggets, who additionally boast three frontcourt starters 6-8 or taller.

Though Michael Porter Jr. is not fairly as huge because the Lakers’ starters at 6-10, 218, Denver’s combo of Porter, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic nonetheless runs a mixed 737 kilos, making them one of many league’s largest frontcourts. And, typically talking, the larger opponent, the more serious the Lakers have fared this season.

In 17 video games in opposition to groups with a mixed weight of a minimum of 730 kilos of their major frontcourt, the Lakers went 7-10 (.412) with a minus-2.2 differential. Against this, the Lakers dominated the league’s smallest groups, going 16-6 (.727) with a plus-3.9 differential in opposition to groups with a mixed major frontcourt weight of 670 kilos or much less.

Particularly, Denver’s measurement and ability appears to negate the Lakers’ means to defend the paint. The Nuggets put up a blistering 122.0 offensive ranking in final yr’s convention finals, their better of any collection en path to the title, and their 125 factors per 100 possessions on this yr’s 3-0 regular-season sweep was Denver’s third-best offensive ranking in opposition to any opponent in keeping with NBA Superior Stats.

The Nuggets’ 59% taking pictures on 2-point makes an attempt in opposition to the Lakers this season was much better than both their total 56% mark or the 54% the Lakers allowed. It hasn’t harm that Denver has additionally scorched the nets past the arc in opposition to the Lakers, taking pictures 40% on 3s in final yr’s playoffs and 42% head-to-head this season, their second-best mark in opposition to any Western Convention opponent.

Regardless of that scorching taking pictures, Lakers-Nuggets matchups have sometimes been shut. Two of this yr’s three video games and three of final season’s 4 playoff matchups have gone into clutch time — the rating inside 5 factors contained in the final 5 minutes or additional time. Throughout these conditions, Denver outscored the Lakers 28-13 within the 2023 convention finals and 27-10 within the 2023-24 common season.

If the Lakers are going to flip the script on this yr’s rematch, it should begin with discovering extra success in crunch time.

Why L.A. may problem the champs

Because the Lakers battled again from a 10-point deficit within the second quarter to take the lead at halftime on Tuesday, Gabe Vincent was in the course of the momentum swing.

Vincent recorded two 3s and a steal, all whereas chasing round Pelicans sharpshooter CJ McCollum on the perimeter. The Lakers outscored the Pelicans by 13 within the eight minutes Vincent performed within the quarter. And, after the sport, a number of members of the Lakers entrance workplace raved to ESPN in regards to the backup guard’s impression.

Los Angeles used almost all of its mid-level exception to signal Vincent within the offseason, coming off an NBA Finals run with the Miami Warmth. A knee damage value Vincent all however 11 video games of the common season, however he is returned to the lineup in late March as one of many Lakers’ finest on-ball defenders — particularly with Jarred Vanderbilt out.

Vincent’s skillset is especially useful in opposition to Denver guard Jamal Murray, who averaged 32.5 factors on 53/41/95 splits in final yr’s convention finals in opposition to the Lakers, however simply 21.4 factors on 45/39/93 splits within the Finals in opposition to Vincent and the Warmth.

Murray averaged 30.9 factors per 100 possessions within the Finals with Vincent as the first defender, in comparison with 36.9 in opposition to former Lakers guard Dennis Schroder within the convention finals, per Second Spectrum.

One other key personnel change for either side is the departure of ahead Bruce Brown, who left Denver in free company final summer season.

Brown was a two-way drive in opposition to L.A. final season, averaging 12.4 factors on 52.8% taking pictures whereas locking up D’Angelo Russell so effectively on protection that the Lakers guard fell out of the rotation in the course of the collection.

Russell hit 5 3s in Tuesday’s win, together with the clincher within the remaining minute to safe the No. 7 seed.

James, in the meantime, is coming off his most common season video games as a Laker regardless of being in his twenty first season and has mentioned his well being is far improved over final yr’s sweep.

“I took a number of satisfaction within the offseason,” James mentioned, “simply attempting to get my ankle, get my foot proper again so as, get my physique again so as.”

Now, the Lakers’ subsequent problem in one in all James’ remaining championship runs is taking down the champs — who they have not overwhelmed in a playoff recreation for the reason that Orlando bubble.

As Ham advised his crew on Tuesday evening: “We wish all of the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades.”