A lot has gone wrong for the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. LA has blown double-digit leads in all three games in the series to trail three games to none and faces elimination the rest of the way against the defending champs after a second-half collapse in Game 3 Thursday night.
It was a different game but the same story for the Lakers, who dropped their 11th straight game against the Nuggets dating back to last January. LA got out to a hot start, holding a 10-point lead after the first quarter. The Lakers’ offense went cold after that as they averaged 21 points across the second and third quarters. That saw their lead turn into an eight-point deficit by the start of the final frame. The Nuggets never trailed again after taking a 62-61 lead four minutes into the third quarter.
Aaron Gordon led the way for the Nuggets with a team-high 29 points, a new playoff career-high for the 28-year-old. Incredibly, Gordon’s Game 3 output is more than the entire Lakers bench contributed in Games 2 and 3 combined, per Nikki Goel. LA got 19 bench points in Game 3 after only six points from reserves in Game 2.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves combined for 81 points in Game 3, The other five Lakers who took a shot in the game scored 24, including a goose egg from D’Angelo Russell, the first time he’s ever been shutout in an NBA playoff game.
Lakers facing impossible hole with season on the line
There aren’t many silver linings for the Lakers so far in this series. They have to feel like they should’ve taken at least one of the three games, but instead have little time to make adjustments as their season hangs in the balance.
Teams need the full rotation to contribute to make a run at an NBA title. Perhaps it’s unfair to label the Lakers as a contender, but with two future Hall of Famers on the roster, it’s at least somewhat warranted.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James have done everything they can in this series. The duo has combined for at least 58 points in all three games and is shooting efficiently while doing so. A two-man team can’t win an NBA playoff series though, nor does it look like they can win a single game.
The Lakers had to be licking their chops for a rematch with the Nuggets after last year’s sweep in the Western Conference Finals. A year later, LA still is not up to par with Denver and it’s shown through 12 quarters of play.
The Lakers need more to be a true contender and it doesn’t look like that’s going to miraculously happen in time to turn this series – and their season – around. It’ll soon be back to the drawing board for the Lakers in what is sure to be another offseason full of questions about the franchise’s future.
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