{"id":73784,"date":"2024-04-18T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=73784"},"modified":"2024-04-19T14:10:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T18:10:45","slug":"four-keys-for-the-lakers-to-stun-the-nuggets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/18\/four-keys-for-the-lakers-to-stun-the-nuggets\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Keys for the Lakers to Stun the Nuggets"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the Lakers\u2019 media day in October, <\/span>Anthony Davis<\/span><\/a> discussed<\/span><\/a> the team\u2019s loss to the Nuggets in last year\u2019s Western Conference Finals, and how motivated LA was to face them this season:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just a lot of talking\u2026We get it, y\u2019all won. But me and Bron had some conversations. It\u2019s like, \u2018We can\u2019t wait.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Lakers weren\u2019t as fortunate in the regular season, as Denver swept them in the three matchups they played together. But after beating the Pelicans in a thrilling Play-in matchup, the purple and gold finally have their chance at redemption in the first-round of the 2024 playoffs.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the Lakers want to surprise Denver and the rest of the NBA, here are four keys they must capitalize on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four Keys for the Lakers to Stun the Nuggets<\/b><\/h2>\n

Domination From the Dynamic Duo<\/b><\/h3>\n

As always, the Lakers will be relying on the shoulders of Davis and LeBron James<\/a> to carry them through the playoffs. The duo played well in the season series against Denver. James averaged 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Davis put up 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game. However, the postseason is a different beast, and these two need to step their games up in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

LeBron will no doubt be the catalyst on both ends of the floor, generating most of the team\u2019s points through buckets and assists while stopping half of Denver\u2019s talented duo. His season-high 16 assists in the regular season finale was a glimpse of how his playmaking has turned up at the right time. That court vision will be crucial for a team that will look to limit his offensive outbursts. James also <\/span>led the NBA in fourth quarter scoring<\/span><\/a>, and in a series with games that could go down to the wire, it\u2019s imperative that James maintains crunch time consistency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, Davis\u2014who proved doubters wrong by playing 76 games this season\u2014and his durability will be essential for this series. Davis has faced Jokic in the postseason nine times in his career, averaging 29.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The 2023 Western Conference Finals saw AD average a double-double (26.8 PPG, 14 RPG) and erupt for 40 points in the series opener. This time around, AD will have to channel that energy from the jump and keep it there the rest of the way. The Lakers have asked a lot of Davis this season, and he has delivered every time. With a golden opportunity at hand, AD must exceed expectations against one of the best bigs in the league.<\/span><\/p>\n

Crash the Glass<\/b><\/h3>\n

This season, the Lakers\u2019 rebounding was all over the place. The team was 18th in rebounds per game (43.1) and dead last in offensive rebounds per game (8.2). However, they also finished second in defensive boards (34.9). <\/span>AD led the NBA in second-chance points<\/span><\/a>, adding to his importance in this series.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a whole\u2014and against a taller Nuggets team\u2014the Lakers will need to focus on the boards against Denver. Denver out-rebounded the Lakers 175-153 in the conference finals, and they continued to do so in the season series, 139-114. The differences seem small at first glance, but they are critical in terms of generating extra possessions, which is partly why Denver has had the Lakers\u2019 number for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Lakers to improve their odds against the Nuggets, crashing the boards is vital, and this shouldn\u2019t just fall on James and Davis. <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a> has shown he\u2019s capable of double-double outings, so look for him to be aggressive on the glass. And despite the inconsistency, backup big <\/span>Jaxson Hayes<\/span><\/a> may also be putting his seven-foot frame and <\/span>seven-foot-three wingspan<\/span><\/a> to work near the basket. The Lakers can increase their chances at scoring\u2014and limit Denver\u2019s at the same time\u2014if they constantly get to the boards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Twos Over Threes<\/b><\/h3>\n

Aside from getting to the glass first, the Lakers will need to do most of their damage inside the arc as opposed to from outside of it. According to <\/span>NBA.com\u2019s Michael Wright<\/span><\/a>, the three ball won\u2019t matter as much in this series:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The Nuggets were the only team that had a winning record (18-15) in games in which they were outscored from 3-point range this season. The Lakers, meanwhile, had the most wins (23-29) when being outscored from deep. Denver (35.2%) and L.A. (35.8%) ranked <\/span>30th and 28th<\/span><\/a>, respectively in the percentage of their shots that came from 3-point range, and those rates were even lower (<\/span>32.9%<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>31.0%<\/span><\/a>) over the three regular-season meetings.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that the Lakers should abandon the three ball completely, but rather prioritize getting quality looks from the paint and midrange spots. In LA\u2019s three regular season matchups with the Nuggets, <\/span>nearly 70% of their shots came from two-point range<\/span><\/a>, and they knocked down 53% of those attempts (33 makes\/61.7 attempts per game). Getting back to that formula in the postseason will be a key aspect of their offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

It helps to have players like Davis, James and Hachimura, who are all skilled at getting to their spots in the paint. But it will be up to the rest of the Lakers to follow their lead and match Denver\u2019s physicality inside. The Lakers\u2019 interior presence may not be the deciding factor in winning games, but it would be a lot more helpful than hunting for threes on every possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Guards Must\u00a0Step Up<\/b><\/h3>\n

Finally, a key factor for the Lakers will be their guard rotation of <\/span>D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Gabe Vincent<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Spencer Dinwiddie<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Russell and Reaves had mixed results against Denver in the conference finals. Reaves played some of the best basketball of his career while Russell was nearly played off the floor. This season, they both performed well despite the results. Reaves put up 16 points (43.6% FG, 40% 3PT, 78.6% FT) and nine assists per game, while Russell averaged 14 points (40% FG, 33% 3PT, 80% FT) and five assists.<\/span><\/p>\n

LA also now has Vincent and Dinwiddie, who have both proven themselves in the playoffs. Vincent’s stellar run last year included a matchup with the Nuggets in the Finals, where he averaged 11.4 points, 2.4 assists and one steal per game while helping keep Murray in check<\/a>. Dinwiddie was a part of Dallas\u2019s 2022 run to the Western Conference Finals, and has averaged 14.1 points and 3.6 assists across four postseasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to LeBron and AD, D\u2019Lo, Gabe, Spencer and Austin will need to bring their A-games against <\/span>Jamal Murray<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Kentavious Caldwell-Pope<\/span><\/a> and the rest of Denver\u2019s guards. Given Reaves and Russell\u2019s familiarity with Murray, they\u2019ll have a better idea of how to keep him in check\u2014or at least try to. Vincent, though he hasn\u2019t faced the Nuggets since October, will be critical as a point-of-attack defender. His ability to consistently get stops will be necessary off the bench, as will his shooting, <\/span>which has started to come back<\/span><\/a>. And Dinwiddie, who is now in the same conference as Denver, must provide an offensive spark after <\/span>adapting to a \u201cdefense-first\u201d role<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lakers\u2019 group of guards will need to work well alongside James and Davis to prevent a breakout from Denver\u2019s backcourt.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Lakers, as expected, are heavy underdogs against the defending champions. However, as LeBron, AD, Reaves and Darvin Ham have reiterated, the team is prepared to put up a fight in round one and <\/span>did not even consider ducking them to face the Thunder<\/span><\/a>. Each of these keys could be difference-makers in this important series, and time will tell how prepared the Lakers are when game one tips off Saturday. Given their recent success and newfound motivation, the purple and gold shouldn\u2019t be counted out just yet.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the Lakers\u2019 media day in October, Anthony Davis discussed the team\u2019s loss to the Nuggets in last year\u2019s Western Conference Finals, and how motivated LA was to face them this season: \u201cIt was just a lot of talking\u2026We get it, y\u2019all won. But me and Bron had some conversations. It\u2019s like, \u2018We can\u2019t wait.\u2019\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":73790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62],"tags":[240,4556,307,4921,1962,38,1749,1298],"class_list":["post-73784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-anthony-davis","tag-austin-reaves","tag-dangelo-russell","tag-gabe-vincent","tag-jaxson-hayes","tag-lebron-james","tag-rui-hachimura","tag-spencer-dinwiddie"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}