For the third straight game, the L.A. Lakers built a double digit first half lead versus the Denver Nuggets--and for the 11th straight game, the Nuggets beat the L.A. Lakers. The Nuggets' 112-105 victory gives them a commanding 3-0 series lead, and that is the death knell in the NBA playoffs: 151 NBA teams have been down 3-0 in a playoff series prior to this series, and no team has ever come back from that deficit to win the series.
Aaron Gordon led Denver with a team-high 29 points on 12-18 field goal shooting, and he tied for game-high honors with 15 rebounds. Nikola Jokic filled up the boxscore with 24 points on 9-13 field goal shooting, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. Jamal Murray, who nailed the game-winning buzzer beater in the previous game, scored 22 points and dished for nine assists. Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthony Davis scored a game-high 33 points on 14-23 field goal shooting, and he grabbed 15 rebounds, but he once again faded down the stretch, posting three points on 1-3 field goal shooting in the fourth quarter. LeBron James had 26 points on 12-20 field goal shooting plus nine assists and six rebounds. Austin Reaves added 22 points, but no other Laker scored more than eight points.
Watching the Lakers consistently struggle with lagging second half energy and an inability to generate enough easy baskets, it is clear that the Lakers could use a high energy point guard who plays hard and pushes the pace. Russell Westbrook would be a great fit! Oh, wait--last season the Lakers traded Westbrook for Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt. How much did that "tremendous trio" contribute for the Lakers in Thursday night's do or die game three? Beasley is no longer with the Lakers after averaging 3.0 ppg on .294 field goal shooting for the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs. Vanderbilt averaged 4.6 ppg on .400 field goal shooting for the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, played just 29 regular season games for the Lakers in 2023-24, and he has yet to play in the 2024 playoffs due to injury. Russell shot 0-7 from the field and did not score a point. Yes, the Lakers quite literally gave up a future Hall of Fame point guard for nothing--the three players who the Lakers acquired in the Westbrook trade did not score a single point for the Lakers in game three. I said it when the Lakers traded Westbrook, I said it during the Lakers' fluky run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, and I will say it again now: getting rid of Westbrook did bring the Lakers closer to being a legit contender, and it did not position the Lakers very well for the post-LeBron James era, either.
After game three, TNT's Charles Barkley said that he had expected this to be a competitive series and he is surprised by the way that the Nuggets have taken the Lakers's heart. I am not surprised. I picked the Nuggets to win this series in five games because I knew that, when it matters most, Jokic will outplay James and Davis not only individually but by bringing out the best in his teammates--and Jokic will do so without any complaining or drama.
It is quite telling that during the first half--when the Lakers had the lead--you could see Davis shaking his head in disgust after a Nuggets' score. It is obvious that deep down the Lakers do not trust each other, and do not believe that they can beat the Nuggets.
The only thing more inevitable than Denver winning this series is that General Manager/Coach/Player President LeBron James will receive little to no criticism for the Lakers' desultory performance not only in this series but for most of his L.A. tenure. James and Davis will always have the "bubble" championship and the inaugural NBA Cup title--but they also have three Play-In Tournament appearances, one first round loss (soon to be two), and one season during which they did not even qualify for the Play-In Tournament. Unless the Lakers make a miraculous and unprecedented comeback versus Denver, the Lakers will have failed to advance past the first round in three of the five seasons that James and Davis--two members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team--played together.
As I write these words, rest assured that James' buddies in the media are working on their stories detailing how the Lakers' failures should be blamed on Coach Darvin Ham. Davis already planted that seed after game two by stating that the Lakers' problem is that they are disorganized, and that seed is going to quickly blossom into a California redwood after the Nuggets put the Lakers out of their misery. Pay no attention to James' stat-padding, Davis' second half disappearing acts, or the numerous teammates and coaches that James has thrown under the bus--these Lakers may be the first team in NBA history that fails to meet expectations without the two best players receiving much blame, which is particularly odd considering that James not only dominates the ball but he also without question has played a major role in the team's roster construction.