Lakers’ Supporting Cast Falls Short of Supporting LeBron James and Anthony Davis
The Lakers lost 112-105 to the Nuggets on Thursday, proving that the eleventh time wasn’t the charm.
The plot between these two teams is as inventive as a replay of Three’s Company: even if you didn’t watch it, you can still infer the outcome.
Early in, the Lakers had a double-digit advantage. LeBron James and Anthony Davis carried the squad the entire way. In the second frame, the Nuggets gained ground.
Similar to previous season, the Nuggets already hold a dominating 3-0 lead.
The disappointing aspect of these defeats is that LeBron and AD have done the most part of their jobs. Stars have performed spectacularly in important games. James finished Game 3 with a scorching 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while Davis finished with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists.
That’s not enough, though, when Russell, your starting guard, scores you zero points, Hachimura manages only five, and the bench adds a few more points but is dominated on the glass and in their individual defensive duties.
During playoff games, both fans and the media can frequently focus their attention on the stars, but this series, the core surrounding James and Davis has let them down.
The Nuggets are still getting fantastic plays from Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Peyton Watson, while the Lakers can only rely on James and Davis to be reliable players.
At this point, that is insufficient, and no rotation choices, plans, or timeouts will make it better. As Davis and James attempt to be the two best players on the court at all times for 48 minutes, the stage begins to appear empty if the supporting cast is unable to provide any assistance.
After the defeat, Austin Reaves stated, “It’s really frustrating that our offense hasn’t been clicking.” “It hurts to lose. We’re losing right now, that’s all anyone should be concerned about in our locker room. That should be the only thing there is to it. Nothing else.
When the Lakers face the Nuggets, they are the Three Bears and Goldilocks.
In Game 2, D’Angelo Russell puts on a fantastic display, but Reaves finds it difficult to score. In Game 3, when Reaves scores 22 points, Russell puts up a goose egg. After making a heroic defensive effort in Game 1, Rui Hachimura disappears for the remainder of the series.
Even on a Thursday night, the problem is as evident as day, and while you can search within for solutions, whatever that can go wrong will.
