A new season of sports
At the critical moment, the Nuggets Jokic and Murray teamed up to dominate the game, taking the game away in waves. On March 3, Beijing time, the Lakers lost 114-124 to the Nuggets at home. James suffered a mileage tragedy. He scored 26 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists in this game, and Brother Thick Mei scored 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. But Jokic contributed 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to dominate the interior. Murray had 24 points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Porter made all 10 shots and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
The Lakers' weakness was once again exposed, and the Lakers trailed by 16 rebounds 31-47 in this game, once again falling behind in the rebounding competition. The Lakers' offense in this game was not bad, with the starting five Tigers scoring more than 17 points and a team-wide shooting percentage of 528% and 41 percent three-point shooting4% and 72 free throw percentage7%。The Lakers also did a good job of controlling turnovers, with only seven turnovers in the game.
However, the Lakers trailed by too many rebounds, which gave the Nuggets more offensive opportunities. After the game, Lakers coach Darvin Ham also talked about rebounding, saying, "I think defensive rebounding needs to be improved so that we can win some key games. In this game, the Lakers fell behind 25-36 in defensive rebounds.
Lakers general manager Pelinka's 2023 offseason addition is a failure, as Ham is still playing last season's roster, which has proven to be no match for the Nuggets. In the Western Conference Finals last season, the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Nuggets. The players he brought in last summer didn't play well on the bench. Prince had just two points and one rebound, Reddish had three points and Jaxson Hayes had four points and four rebounds.
The Lakers failed to limit Jokic and Murray, and Ham used Hachimura to defend Jokic poorly. With four minutes left in the game, the Lakers still have a two-point lead at 110-108.
But on James' 40,000th night, the Lakers suffered a black four minutes. Aaron Gordon hit a three-pointer, Jokic scored on a basket, Murray scored, and Holiday scored on a layup, and the Nuggets went on a 9-0 offensive spurt to seize the initiative. After Brother Bush finally scored a jumper, Murray broke through to score a layup and still led by 7 points.
The Lakers lost power in the final four minutes, and the Nuggets still used Jokic and Murray as offensive starters to play efficient offense. They also had a firm grip on the rebound, with Murray missing a three-pointer, Gordon grabbing an offensive rebound, and then Jokic scoring on a layup. After James scored a layup, Jokic assisted Gordon to score an empty dunk, and also made James foul and played 2+1.
James, who paid for the last foul, was deeply helpless. The Lakers really can't beat this Nuggets team, and the Lakers still have the same sense of powerlessness as last year's Western Conference Finals. 'They've been playing tactically. That's what the championship team did. We just don't do enough. Ham said after the game. It's just that Hamm has no solution at all.
Lakers guard Reaves said: "The Nuggets are a team with a lot of execution. Since last year's playoffs, they've always beaten us in the last four or five minutes. "With a roadblock like the Nuggets, it will be difficult for the Lakers to break through from the West this season, and it is really difficult for James to achieve his dream of winning the championship this season. The Lakers have lost eight in a row against the Nuggets, and the Nuggets have become the Lakers' nemesis.