This was more than a bad match; it’s almost a guarantee.
After making it to the 2023 NBA Western Conference Finals, the Lakers added size and muscle while building on the existing core to try to match the Nuggets a season later.
In the end, those changes mattered so little, Denver won all four regular-season meetings and lost only once in a first-round playoff series between the teams.
That defeat led to the Lakers making another change, this one on the sidelines, with JJ Redick replacing Darvin Ham as coach.
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And entering Saturday’s game against Denver, the first of the season, the Lakers looked like a team that had corrected some of its organizational flaws.
They would no doubt be more prepared for what Denver was going to throw at them, a concern that players voiced privately a year ago. They would no doubt play with confidence despite a terrible late-game loss to Orlando on Thursday after a string of missed free throws in the final minutes.
They were getting their starter, Rui Hachimura, back, and the Nuggets would be without one of their own again, Aaron Gordon.
And with Denver playing on Friday night, the Lakers would be the more energetic team with all they could do against a foe that just dominated them.
Too much has changed for it to somehow stay the same. correct?
But when Anthony Davis went down after missing Nikola Jokić during a disastrous third quarter and the Nuggets trudged back down the floor, a stench of familiarity filled the Lakers’ home arena.
Everyone had a right to be concerned because the Lakers looked lifeless – the Nuggets won 127-102 and the Lakers, of all teams, were certainly not going to stop them.
Russell Westbrook, who entered the game to boo off the Denver bench, walked the Lakers starters off the court to the same noise after his 3-pointer put the Nuggets up 26 with 4:23 left. The shot sent the Lakers starter to the bench.
Davis’ foul came after one of Denver’s 18 turnovers — the Lakers were only able to score 18 points on those fouls. They were critical missed opportunities, chances the Lakers needed to capitalize on to beat a team that has their numbers.
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Instead of missing shots and stalling offensively, the Nuggets made sure every Lakers mistake ended in pain.
Denver scored 31 points on 15 Lakers turnovers.
As usual, Jokic was the best player on the court, scoring 34 points with 13 rebounds and eight assists. Davis, clearly troubled by the reigning MVP, scored just 14 — one of his worst games of the season.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 19 points, but Denver made sure only one stat mattered – outscoring the Lakers 70-39 in the second half.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.