The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Denver Nuggets in their first round match-up, and the series will tip-off on Sunday at Staples Center. The Lakers and Nuggets have met five times in the Western Conference playoffs and the Lakers have won all five series.
Their most recent meeting came in the 2009 Western Conference Finals, the same year the Lakers won the championship. However, the teams’ current rosters are dramatically different and this should be one exciting series.
Before the Lakers and Nuggets battle let’s take a look back at the top 10 Lakers vs. Nuggets Playoff Games
10: Game 3 1987 NBA Playoffs, Lakers-140 Nuggets-103
The Lakers finished off the Nuggets in a sweep, and did it in front of Denver’s home crowd. Los Angeles put up amazing numbers and the Nuggets had no answer for the incredible offensive scoring.
The Lakers had seven players in double-digits, led by Byron Scott with 25 points. Although Adbul-Jabbar put up only nine points in the game, the balanced attack was too much for Denver to handle and the Lakers advanced to the second round.
9: Game 3 1985 NBA Playoffs, Lakers 136 Nuggets 118
The Los Angeles Lakers were coming off a disappointing loss to the Nuggets in Game 2 in front of their fans. Denver managed to put up 136 points and it seemed as though they would take a 2-1 series lead.
However, the Magic Johnson-led-Lakers answered back strong and beat the Nuggets in the Mile High City, 136-118. It was a classic Johnson game as he recorded 14 rebounds and 15 assists, while Abdul-Jabbar had 27 points and James Worthy scored 28.
8: Game 5 1985 NBA Playoffs, Lakers 152 Nuggets 109
This was a classic Showtime Lakers basketball game, where the fastbreaks were plenty and the points came in a hurry. The Lakers had a chance to close out the series and head to the NBA Finals in front of their home fans, and they did just that.
The Lakers managed to score 42 points in the second quarter of this game, and the outcome was decided by halftime. After thumping the Nuggets in Game 5 in the Forum, the Lakers went on to play the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar completed the amazing season by beating their long-time rivals.
Next Page: Numbers Seven, Six and Five
