The Los Angeles Lakers have done a fairly good job of competing against and beating the NBA’s best teams over the last 12 months. But during that time, there has seemingly been one team they just haven’t been able to overcome: the Denver Nuggets. On Saturday, the Nuggets came to Crypto.com Arena, giving L.A. an opportunity to end a seven-game losing streak to them.
The Lakers got off to an early 29-18 lead thanks to some hot shooting and their running game. After LeBron James went out with 3:19 left in the first quarter for rest, their lead dwindled to 33-27 at the end of the period, but they were able to maintain their advantage in the second quarter and take a 66-58 edge into halftime.
However, the Nuggets chipped away and gained the lead with three minutes and change left in the third period while building a big advantage on the boards. It was in the third quarter that the Lakers’ energy and aggressiveness seemed to wane.
Dating back to last season’s Western Conference Finals, it has been the late runs by the Nuggets that have allowed them to put the Lakers away. That was true yet again on Saturday when 9-0 run late in the fourth quarter turned a 110-108 L.A. lead into a seven-point lead for Denver and ultimately a 124-114 victory for Nikola Jokić and crew.
The Lakers are now 3-3 since the All-Star break during a rough stretch that will ultimately help determine whether they have a good chance of making the playoffs. With this loss, they’re 33-29 on the season and in 10th place in the Western Conference, and they’re half a game behind the ninth-place Golden State Warriors.
Anthony Davis: C-minus
Davis had a solid first half with 13 points. But afterward, he went quiet. He scored on a jump hook 15 seconds into the third quarter, and he didn’t score again until the 1:49 mark of the fourth quarter when he notched his final two points of the game.
It was reminiscent of opening night when Davis scored 17 points in the first half but went scoreless in the second half of a 119-107 loss to Denver.
Yes, the Lakers went away from Davis to some extent down the stretch in favor of pick-and-rolls involving LeBron James and someone other than Davis. But Davis still needs to get deep post position and demand the ball, and his teammates need to get him the ball.
He finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Meanwhile, Jokic went for 35 points, 10 boards and seven assists while shooting 16-of-25 from the field.
Rui Hachimura: B/B-plus
Hachimura was aggressive early, hitting each of his first three shots and going 6-of-8 in the first half. With Davis almost invisible in the third quarter, Hachimura helped pick up the slack with 10 points during that span, but he missed both of his shot attempts in the fourth quarter when L.A. needed him to keep pouring it on.
He scored 23 points for the game on 10-of-15 shooting while hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point range. But he had only three rebounds, and given the fact the Lakers were outrebounded 47-31, it was an area in which he was underwhelming.
The Japan native was often the primary defender on Jokic, but as the game wore on, he seemed to lose his effectiveness in that department versus the two-time regular season MVP.
Austin Reaves: B-plus
Reaves was dropping dimes early. He had seven of the Lakers’ 12 first-quarter assists, and for the game, he had 14 assists while somewhat quietly scoring 19 efficient points. However, like Davis and Hachimura, the Lakers needed more from him in the fourth quarter, as he shot 2-of-4 and scored five points during that period.
D'Angelo Russell: C-plus
Russell was on point, going 5-of-8 in the first half and scoring 13 points. But he went cold in the third quarter, and he didn’t even attempt a single shot in the final period.
He went to the bench with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter, and it was shades of past games when his inconsistency and offensive struggles caused Lakers head coach Darvin Ham to go with someone else in his place during crunch time.
Russell finished with 17 points, but he shot 2-of-7 from downtown and had just three assists.
LeBron James: A-minus
In addition to reaching 40,000 career points, LeBron James helped key the Lakers’ attack in the first half with 11 points and six assists. After a quiet third quarter, he scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, as he continually attacked downhill, especially off pick-and-roll sequences.
But it seemed he was the Lakers’ only real offensive option down the stretch. Even if he were in his 20s, that just won’t get it done, especially against the Nuggets.
He ultimately scored 26 points while shooting 12-of-20 overall and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, to go along with nine assists, four rebounds and three steals. Despite playing a few too many minutes, James has held up fairly well so far this season, and the proof is in his shooting efficiency, which remains very high.
Taurean Prince: D-minus
It looks like Prince is definitely in a shooting slump. On Saturday he went 1-of-6 from the field, and in his last six games, including Saturday’s contest, he’s 5-of-19 from 3-point land.
With Hachimura now entrenched in Ham’s starting lineup, the Lakers’ bench looks rather lackluster offensively, especially with Christian Wood out due to knee swelling. Prince needs to step things up and regain his marksmanship from long-range if they are to reach the playoffs.
Cam Reddish: C
Reddish had a couple of moments of decent defense on Jamal Murray, but overall, he couldn’t do much to slow down Murray, who had 24 points and 11 assists.
Reddish did contribute a 3-pointer, two offensive rebounds and one steal in 19 minutes. But if he’s going to get more than spot duty, he needs to give L.A. a little more than that, especially in the scoring column.
Jaxson Hayes: B-minus
In nine minutes, Hayes had four rebounds, one steal, one blocked shot and a couple of easy baskets. But the lack of a true backup center with size and girth is glaring, especially against Jokic, who seems to be a hybrid of Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Moses Malone.
Spencer Dinwiddie: C
In 20 minutes, Dinwiddie had three assists, but he shot just 1-of-4 from the field. With the Lakers’ bench being what it is right now, the team badly could use some consistent and efficient scoring from Dinwiddie.
