Lakers/Nuggets
1Q: Lakers have come out locked in like a team 2 wins away from the Finals. Denver has to take the punch and hang on. Physical game so far, with Jokic being very aggressive moving the Lakers around inside; we’ll see how that goes when Dwight Howard gets on him. Howard hasn’t typically played in 1st Q’s, but Jokic also hasn’t been this aggressive in 1st Q’s. Jokic's footwork is simply incredible underneath the rim. Baffling to me how it's Game 3 and the Lakers are still occasionally doubling off of Murray, who is the one perimeter guy you can't double off of. Think Denver is finding something with the early handoffs before the Lakers can load up. LAL trail 29-27 after 1, with Jokic scoring 11 points for DEN. LAL allowed 12 of 20 FG’s from the Nuggets, including 9 of 10 in the paint, where they usually force a much lower percentage. LAL were also out-rebounded 10-7. LAL shot well too, hitting 11 of 20 FG’s.
2Q: I never understand the point of going small and deciding not to switch. The Nuggets starters are going to play A LOT based on the rotations we're seeing. Last game Murray subbed out in the first quarter and the Lakers went on an 11-1 run. Now Murray and Jokic haven't subbed out at all. LAL’s bench has been really good all postseason, but they’ve struggled so far tonight. Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns continue for LA. This game hasn’t been about lineups or personell; Denver is simply playing harder, with more desperation so far. Too many turnovers really hurt LA and allowed for Denver to score early in their offense and mostly against a not set Lakers defense. The Lakers offense in this stretch: Anthony Davis. The margin is 63-53 after a lackluster 1st half from the Lakers. They picked things up late in the 2nd Q to close the gap, but allowed 56.4% FG’s to DEN, and were outrebounded 23-11, a staggering gap on the glass for this big Lakers team, allowing 7 offensive boards. Monte Morris was huge in the first half. Jokic set the tone but he, Grant and Porter Jr contributing offensively changes things. Those guys have to be threats. And the thing Jamal Murray has proven in these playoffs, once he gets going, the task gets a lot harder.
3Q: Dwight starts the 2nd half, as he did Game 1. It was the small ball group that hurt LAL in the first half. They’re +2 in McGee’s minutes and + 6 in Howard’s. Dwight's defense has more value in this series than his role as an enforcer. He's got to realize that and not pick up some of the cheap ones. Jerami Grant was the main reason Denver was able to extend their lead. His offense has been critical. If Denver doesn't have anything on the first option they keep playing. And it's not just passing and screening anymore they are looking to attack the Lakers off the dribble and play out of that. Denver has mixed up the pops and rolls from Jokic in P&R and it's throwing the Lakers off. Lakers were settling for too many jump shots even though they got positive results every time they got paint touches. LAL were outscored by 8 for a 2nd straight quarter, and trail 93-75 heading into the 4th Q. They continue to struggle on the glass, trailing 33-18, and are 5 for 18 from 3. They've looked complacent on offense, confused on defense, and frustration has been adding up.
4Q: Jamal Murray with the huge dunk that seems like the dagger in this game, but not the case as the Lakers transition game really turned it up as they cut into the lead. LAL finally getting something positive going with better defense. Defense leading to transition offense here. Lakers zone has taken Denver all the way out of their rhythm. Tempo and flow is gone from Denver vs. the zone. Jamal Murray with a couple of huge threes from deep to shut down a Lakers comeback. Very impressive final effort by the Lakers, but the middle quarters did them in. Nuggets win 114, Lakers 106.
