EVERYBODY STAY CALM!
PLEASE!
EVERYBODY PLEASE HEAD BACK INTO YOUR BANDWAGONS IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!
KEEP YOUR BAGS OF LAKER MERCH FIRMLY TUCKED TO YOUR SIDES SO AS TO NOT GET JACKED BY PASSERBYS
Almost every instance of success comes with a bit of luck, and the Lakers were certainly no different in that regard. The Denver Nuggets started out shooting the ball awfully even though LA yielded wide open looks. Also, the surging Nikola Jokic was having an off-game until he woke up late in the third quarter. They were also fortunate that they didn't face the Nuggets at home, where they're a much tougher team to beat (coupled with the natural advantage of their stadium's high elevation). But a win is a win people! And this is a win that not many, including myself, thought would happen.
Lance Stephenson (12 points, 4 rebs, 4 assists, 1 steal, 5/11 shooting), Lonzo Ball (12 points, 6 rebs, 8 assists, 5 steals, 5/10 shooting), Kyle Kuzma (22 points, 3 rebs, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 8/18 shooting), JaVale McGee(21 points, 7 rebs, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 10/16 shooting), and LeBron James (28 points, 11 rebs, 11 assists, 3 steals, 10/17 shooting) turned in big games and timely plays in an impressive home win over the red-hot Denver Nuggets on Thursday night. The same Denver Nuggets who just beat the Golden State Warriors. It isn't anywhere near the same as the Lakers beating the Warriors themselves, but given how bad the shooting/defense/roster construction looked in the first three games of the season, this is a promising step forward. Check out a play-by-play recap of the game below!
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Game Recap
First Quarter
The game opened up with smooth Gary Harris cut to the rim for an easy layup. Laker defense nonexistent, as one has come to expect. At the other end, LeBron crossed up Paul Millsap behind the back for the first Laker points of the game. The Laker's shots were flat to start the game, but LeBron and Kuzma got two sensational blocks on the Nuggets to take back some of the momentum, 5-3 Lakers up after two and a half minutes. Kyle Kuzma was attacking, but it didn't net any goals as the Nuggets tied it up 5-5. Neither team was shooting particularly well, as the Nuggets were 4/12 and the Lakers 2/9. Luke Walton called the first timeout with the score resting at 9-5 Nuggets.
LeBron got a layup to cut it to 2, and JaVale tied it up with a shot over Jokic, 9-9. The Nuggets were just playing sloppily compared to how good they've been in recent games. The Lakers took advantage but not enough to capture and hold the lead. LeBron went to the bench with four minutes to go, which ushered in Lance Stephenson as the primary ball handler. The overall poor shooting persisted for both squads, but the Nuggets still had a three-point advantage with 2:30 to play in the first quarter, 17-14. One of the lowest scoring quarters we've seen yet in a Laker game. LA ended the quarter down by four, 26-22.
Second Quarter
2018 Laker draft pick Svi Mykhailiuk entered the game at the end of the first quarter, but Luke kept him in the game to start the second. He paid off that gamble with a crowd-pleasing alley-oop to JaVale McGee plus the foul. The Nuggets started heating up in the opening minutes though, as Trey Lyles and Jamal Murray nailed a pair of jumpers to start building back that lead. A few plays later, LeBron found Lance Stephenson in the corner for baseline jumper that tied it up for the Lakers, 31-31. Mason Plumlee got a dunk and a tip-in to put the Nuggets up four, but the Lakers got a coule buckets in the paint from JaVale & Svi, then a three from KCP to break into a lead over the Nugs 38-37.
As we crossed the six-minute mark, the Lakers took the game back after a 41-41 tie with a Kyle Kuzma floater over Jokic. The Lakers offense became a bit scattered once LeBron sat down. Poor transition defense and a careless turnover by Lonzo yielded a Gary Harris three and Monte Morris two. That put the Nuggets up 51-47 with three minutes remaining. LeBron checked back in. The Lakers started pushing the pace once again. That pace-pushing initiated an incredibly clustered transition bucket that ended up looking pretty thanks to an aesthetically pleasing touch-pass by Lonzo which sent the crowd into a frenzy! Immediately after the play with the crowd energy still high, Lonzo got a steal on Jamal Murray for another quick bucket that sent the building up even more. Denver was a little rattled after that, so rattled that Paul Millsap went up for a dunk to make a statement but he didn't have enough bounce. He got rejected by the rim and fell on his ass! It was an exciting exchange of plays, but the Nuggets still retained the advantage 57-55. LeBron had the ball for the final shot of the half, and he drove left then threw it to Lonzo above the arc, who shuffled it to Kuzma for a buzzer beater three. That gave the Lakers the lead at the half, 58-57.
Third Quarter
The third quarter started with a Lonzo Ball triple right in the face of Jamal Murray. Jamal swiftly avenged himself by getting the Nuggets next three buckets to take the lead for the Nuggets, 64-63. The Lakers started pounding the paint with a JaVale floater and Kuzma drive, followed by a Josh Hart steal into transition bucket that sent them back on top 69-66. It also sent the Nuggets back to the bench to strategize in a timeout. 9:00 left in the quarter. Nikola Jokic hit a three out of that timeout to tie things back up at 69-all. Paul Millsap hit a fadeaway off a post-up on Josh Hart to recapture the lead 71-69, causing Luke Walton to call timeout to yell at his team about defense. 7:30 left in the third.
The Nuggets were doing a nice job of stifling the Lakers notorious run-the-floor game. Their transition defense was on point. It took away a major weapon of the Lakeshow, which can be especially powerful in their home arena. The Lakers still tried to push the pace, which led to several attempts at the charity stripe thus putting them up by six, 79-73 with 4:30 left in the third. Nikola Jokic made it a point to demand the ball and muscle the Lakers down low in the post, and if he didn't convert the refs usually bailed him out with a foul. His aggressiveness tied the game up at 81 with a little more than 2:00 left in the quarter. The Nuggets ran everything through Jokic as LeBron caught his breath on the bench before the fourth. A pair of Jamal Murray free throws put the Nuggets up by two heading into the final quarter, 89-97.
Fourth Quarter
Denver put up six unanswered points to start before LeBron sunk a three to put the Lakers on the fourth quarter board. Jamal Murray was cooking for the Nuggets as Denver went up by five, 97-92 before Luke Walton had to call TO to slow their momentum. 8:24 left in the game.
The Lakers then started giving up easy baskets to Denver's bigs. The Nuggets pushed it to a seven-point lead, 103-96 as LA scrambled to find a lineup to counter them. Not to mention, Denver's shots falling effortlessly as they had been in the previous few games. Lance Stephenson hit back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to two, 106-104, which sent the home crowd into a state of basketball delirium. Denver had to call a timeout to slow things down. A few Lance Stephenson plays later, the Lakers tied it back up at 108.
JaVale came out and LeBron came back into the game. Luke decided to keep Lance on the floor next to LeBron. It looked like they were going to have LeBron/Kuzma defending the 5. The small unit paid off right away, as a Lance Stephenson outlet pass led to a lighning quick LeBron dunk that set the LA crowd on fire. Lance had a modest stat line, but his value lied in the energy he was bringing to the team and the building. Lonzo Ball stepped it up big-time in the moment and flung out a three-ball - SPLASH. That three-pointer piled it on tenfold to push it to a 5-point lead, but Jamal Murray quickly countered with a midrange jumper. Nikola Jokic had Lonzo Ball guarding him with a chance for an easy bucket, but he somehow missed! LeBron assisted Kyle Kuzma at the other end for another quick basket to bring it back to a 5-point lead 115-110. LeBron had the ball in his hands with a serious chance to build a big lead with less than 1:30 remaining, but he threw up an awful shot to turn it over to Denver. Denver got the ball back but failed to convert a shot. Kyle Kuzma pushed the pace for a transition dunk to put the Lakers up by seven, 117-110.
At the other end, Jamal Murray had the ball and was about to throw up an ill-advised three, but he was able to draw a foul on Josh Hart to go to the line for three free throws. He hit two of them, and then LeBron snagged the rebound to give the Lakers possession with 55 seconds to go. 117-112 Lakers. They inbounded to LeBron at the top of the arc and he held it for almost the full length of the clock, Then, unlike his last possession against San Antonio, he drove hard to the rim and laid it in for two. The refs didn't whistle him for the foul but he got a crucial bucket to put the Lakeshow up by seven once again, 119-112 with 38.9 seconds to play.
The Lakers defended the three-point line hard, but they yielded an easy basket to Gary Harris which cut it to 119-114 Lakers up. Josh Hart got fouled and he went to the line where he hit one of two, 120-114 Lakers. Jamal Murray took the ball and threw up a three but missed badly. LeBron got sent to the line next where he also hit one of two. The Nuggets tried chucking it hoping for a miracle but there wasn't enough time. Lakers win 121-114, giving the much-heralded Denver Nuggets the first loss of their season.
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Takeaways
Man...what a game! There is a lot to unpack after this one. Lance Stephenson defied an innumerable amount of expectations by having a second good game in a row, and this time against a good team in a game with higher stakes. He's in an incredibly good spot right now, but what will happen when Rajan Rondo comes back next game on Saturday against the Spurs in San Antonio? That'll throw another ball-dominant player in the mix. How will this affect the rhythm that Lance has drummed up? What impression has it left on Luke Walton in terms of his ability to lead the second unit?
He was making some great plays with LeBron on the court, including those clutch three's, but he also seemed to thrive as the primary ball-handler of the second unit with LeBron off the floor. Lonzo might become the starter sometime in the near future, sending Rondo to the second unit. I'm not sure how well those two are going to fit together in terms of facilitation, but one thing I'm certain about is that Lance brings undeniable energy to the team and crowd when he's hitting and dancing. It was half of the reason that the Lakers drew up their momentum and kept it until the end.
Speaking of starters, when is Lonzo Ball going to get the starting nod? Lonzo seems to be prospering in the three games that Rondo has been out the rotation. His shot is looking better, and it's actually finding the bottom of the net. Not to mention his defensive abilities have reared their head once again as he looks sharper by the day post-knee surgery. Five steals tonight, and some great on/off-ball all defense throughout the game on Denver's talented guard arsenal.
The impending return of Brandon Ingram will also create a conundrum in the Laker's groove. That'll certainly change the role that Kyle Kuzma has been absolutely thriving in. Ingram's return will be a potent boost to their defense, but how will Luke keep Kuzma's scoring effectiveness in play? The team is getting W's in big part to the increased role of Kuz.
That three-piece family meal that Ingram and Rondo express-delivered to Chris Paul's face created ripples through the organization and league. When the suspensions were handed down, we thought a depleted Lakers team would struggle even more. They were missing one of their best playmakers in Rondo and arguably their second-most talented player in Ingram. Well those three satisfying punches have created new opportunities for certain guys, and the new-look team isn't looking too shabby. We will see how their returns affect the Laker's burgeoning on-court chemistry. Check out the highlights below, and tune in to Lakers vs. Spurs on Saturday night at 5:30 PM PST.
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