The Los Angeles Lakers may have started the season with three straight losses but they are in the process of righting the ship. They started the climb upward by getting their first win of the season in Phoenix on Wednesday night then made it two in a row by knocking out the Denver Nuggets.
On this episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed, host Trevor Lane explains how they got it done. The Nuggets, who were previously unbeaten this season, appeared to have the Lakers’ number during preseason.
Their center combo of Nikola Jokic and Mason Plumlee gave Los Angeles fits, particularly when going up against small-ball lineups featuring a player such as Kyle Kuzma or Michael Beasley at center.
Additionally, guards Jamal Murray and Gary Harris have historically given L.A. problems thanks to their outside shooting and movement off the ball. Those things, combined with the fact that the Lakers were on the second night of a back-to-back after winning in Phoenix, made it seem unlikely that they would walk away with a win.
Yet, LeBron James and company managed to be ahead when the clock ran out, partially thanks to a triple-double by James. JaVale McGee, Kyle Kuzma, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart also turned in excellent performances, but it wasn’t the actions of any particular individual that caused the Lakers to win the game.
Instead, there were three specific areas that the Lakers have struggled with this season but they managed to turn them around against the Nuggets. Taking a win off of a Western Conference rival is always a good thing, but the way the Lakers did it has to give fans hope for a bright future this season.
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