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Photos: Game 5 – Lakers at Nuggets (04/29/24)

Darius Soriano

In another game that came down to the final possession on Denver's home court, it was again a Jamal Murray jumper that sealed the Lakers fate, this time over the outstretched arm of Austin Reaves, in a 108-106 game that will leave the Lakers searching for answers and an entire offseason to reflect on where they could have been better and how to try to reach their goals next season.

The Lakers will kick themselves over the plays they did not make, whether it was their nine missed free throws, the open jumpers that did not fall (10-35 from behind the arc), or the rebounds they did not grab (nine Nuggets offensive rebounds for 15 points).

Just as they will lament the stinger that Anthony Davis suffered that cost him several minutes at the end of the 3rd quarter and limited his movement and effectiveness the rest of the game, their final timeout being lost when the team used, and won, their 2nd challenge of the game late in the 4th quarter to overturn a foul called on AD, and then not being able to advance the ball with three seconds left after Murray's fateful jumper and not being able to get up a shot that could have tied or won the game.

These are the sorts of moments that live in the mind long after the result of the game has settled in, magnified by the stakes of a playoff series on the line, coupled with all the contemplating and second guessing that if just one or two of those things go differently, maybe the entire outcome is shifted.

And while those are the memories that will certainly persist, all that went into this game being as close and as spirited a contest as it was should not be forgotten either. Many players on both sides laid it all on the line, and even though it was Denver who came out on top, the Lakers should be proud of how they played.

LeBron James was brilliant in defeat, nearly tallying a triple-double with 30 points, nine rebounds, and 11 assists. Making 11 of his 21 shots, including three of his seven attempts from deep, LeBron continued to defy what should be possible for a player in his 21st season by taking the reins of his Lakers team on offense and dictating the flow of possession after possession to get good shots for either himself or a teammate for nearly the entirety of his 40 minutes played.

Denver never really found a solution for James' ability to orchestrate good offense as he beat their traditional matchups and coverages with pick-and-rolls between himself and AD or between himself and one of the guards for him to either get downhill for a drive, create a good look for his roll-man, or to spray the ball out to an open shooter.

And then when the Nuggets changed their coverages by either switching those screens or putting a smaller defender on him, LeBron bullied his way into the paint on drives or post ups, getting shots in the restricted area or kicking the ball out to teammates for open jumpers.

Anthony Davis was also great in this game, particularly though the 1st half and into the early part of the third quarter before his shoulder issue. AD was again able to find the creases of Denver's defense, slicing his way to the paint where he was able to finish at the rim with relative ease whether diving after setting screens, cutting to the ball, or running hard in transition to get buckets.

As it was all series, the Nuggets had few (if any) answers for Davis' combination of quickness, power, touch, and general ability to finish on the move, all of which allowed him to hit eight of his 11 shots from the field to score 17 points -- with 16 of those coming before he was hurt.

Davis also grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds, dished out four assists and blocked two shots in another game where he was great on the backboards and had a huge defensive ask to both defend Jokic one-on-one while also helping to protect the paint and help his perimeter players vs. Denver's movement and screen-heavy attack.

The Lakers also got double-digit scoring nights from the rest of their starting lineup as Austin Reaves (19 points, four assists), Rui Hachimura (15 points, five rebounds), and D'Angelo Russell (14 points, six assists), all had their moments where they were positive influences within the game and allowed the Lakers to either take the lead or battle back to keep the game close after the Nuggets had come back.

Despite these contributions, however, all three would likely point to the plays they could have made or the foul shots they missed or the shots they took that did not fall. Whether it was Reaves missing two of his three freebies after drawing a foul on a three-pointer, Rui not getting a few inside shots to fall on a layup and then a couple of put-backs, or Russell connecting on just two of his 10 attempts from behind the arc. Just as I'm sure LeBron and AD would do similar for some of the plays they would love to have back -- especially in a game where the final margin was this slim.

This is the nature of close games, though.

And in the end, Denver proved a worthy opponent and got the performances that speak to their championship pedigree and mettle. From Nikola Jokic scoring 25 points and grabbing 20 rebounds on a night he was not his best taking care of the ball (seven turnovers) to Jamal Murray playing through his calf strain to score 32 points and dish seven assists, the Nuggets earned their victory in a hard-fought game.

It's a shame someone had to lose a contest in which both teams battled the way they did, but unfortunately it was the Lakers who came out on the wrong side of things. And with that loss, their season is over, and for the second straight year at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. But that end does not come without a tremendous effort, both in the series overall and this Game 5 in which the team battled hard and can walk away with their heads held high even in the face of defeat.

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Lakers at Nuggets Game Highlights 04-29-24

lakers-push-nuggets-to-the-buzzer-but-game-5-loss-ends-their-season-4-29-24

Lakers Push Nuggets to the Buzzer, but Game 5 Loss Ends their Season

After a wire-to-wire win that kept their playoff hopes alive, the Lakers (1-3) are back in Denver and looking to extend their series against the Nuggets (3-1) with a win to force a Game 6. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and nationally on TNT.

UPDATED INJURY REPORTSThe Lakers updated the status of injured forward Jarred Vanderbilt on Sunday, upgrading him to questionable with the mid-foot sprain he suffered against the Celtics back on February 1st that cost him the final 32 games of the regular season and the first four games of this series vs. Denver. The Vanderbilt news comes on the heels of Christian Wood being upgraded to available for Game 4 and no longer being on the injury report at all after knee surgery kept him out of the lineup since the All-Star break.

Wood did not play in Game 4 and even if Vanderbilt's status improves and he is upgraded for this game or next, it would be a significant hurdle for him to clear to go from not playing in two months to jumping right back into playoff basketball without missing a beat, to say nothing of being able to play at the level he was showing before being injured. That is a bridge the coaching staff will have to cross if and when he is officially cleared by the medical team, though.

The Lakers are not on the only team with updates to their injury report, however, with Jamal Murray is being listed as questionable for the game with a left calf strain for Denver. Murray could be seen grabbing at the back of his leg in the 4th quarter of Game 4, but he was able to finish the contest without any further incident.

That fact that he stayed in the game and carries a questionable (rather than doubtful) status for Game 5 implies he will give it a go. Remember, too, when these teams faced off on March 2nd, Murray was listed as questionable with an ankle issue that cost him the previous game, but he suited up against the Lakers anyway and scored 25 points and dished out 11 assists while making critical plays down the stretch.

In saying that, the Lakers had success in Game 4 involving Murray defensively by either putting him into pick-and-rolls when he was defending Austin Reaves or D'Angelo Russell or, when he would switch, posting him up with LeBron James. If Murray is not 100% physically, the Lakers could try to further test him defensively to see if they can gain an edge either in that individual matchup or by forcing help and then getting the Nuggets in rotation and force them into more difficult positions as a team.

AD'S PLAYOFF PUSHThrough four playoff games Anthony Davis is playing at an elite level, pouring in the points at an efficient level, rebounding at an exceptional rate, and anchoring the team's defense while defending the reigning Finals MVP and one of one of the best players in the world in Nikola Jokic. His per-game averages are truly eye-popping:

To put this in perspective, for the playoffs, AD is 5th in points per game, 1st in rebounds, and 1st in field goal percentage of players who take at least 10 shot attempts. Offensively, his impact has also gone beyond his individual production, operating as the primary screener in the Lakers schemes to not only help his teammates get open but to then use his roll gravity and threat of finishing as a way to occupy the Nuggets rim protection and allow his ball-handling teammates cleaner shots at the rim.

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Anthony Davis Game Highlights 04-27-24

And though he certainly has his hands full defending Jokic one-on-one (as does everybody), he is holding up well to all the banging to make Jokic's life more difficult than any other Lakers defender (Jokic is 20 of 39 shooting vs. AD and 23 of 33 vs. everyone else per the NBA's tracking data), and performing expertly in the Lakers pick-and-roll coverages to help slow down the rest of the Nuggets offense and in particular help with Jamal Murray.

It is not rare for AD to play to a high-level in the postseason, however. In fact, it is par for the course for his career. Davis has consistently raised his production in the playoffs, showing an ability to not only carry a heavier burden in terms of playing more minutes, but by consistently upping his scoring and rebounding while also shooting the ball better. Needless to say, then, Davis is living up to his own historical standard and proving why he's one of the best players in the world. Period.

GAME 5 KEYSThrough four games, the recipe for success from both teams is fairly well established. In the lone game the Lakers won, they were able to win the rebounding battle, match the Nuggets offense in the 2nd half -- and especially in the 3rd quarter, and then get good production from their guards to better distribute the scoring and allow LeBron to be more of an off-ball worker through the course of the game and close things out down the stretch in the 4th.

Additionally, in the last two games the Lakers have had great success attacking the Nuggets defensive paint, using drives, post ups, the pick-and-roll, and transition chances to score at the rim. The Lakers scored 70 and 72 points in the paint in Games 3 and 4 respectively have really been able to find the crevices in Denver's defense to use those paint attacks as the foundation of their offensive success.

Heading into Game 5, then, it is fairly clear that the team that can best protect their own defensive paint while also controlling the rebounding battle will put themselves in the best position to win the game. For the Lakers, a key ingredient to this will be limiting Aaron Gordon. In Game 3, Gordon was dominant on the offensive glass and as a slasher and cutter to get points in the paint, but in Game 4 he found much less success and was relatively quiet. If the Lakers can steer Gordon more towards the latter on Monday night, they will give their winning chances a big boost.

On the other side of the ball, Denver is sure to do their best to limit the Lakers points in the paint, particularly after Nuggets' coach Michael Malone made it such a point of emphasis in his postgame remarks following Game 4. The Lakers can and should test Denver's ability to accomplish this task by continuing to attack and playing through LeBron and AD in all the same ways they have to this point in the series. That said, the Lakers guards and perimeter players must also be prepared to take and make outside shots should Denver sell out to slow down the Lakers activity inside.

To that end, so far this series, the Lakers have only attempted 30 three-pointers one time (in Game 2) and for the series are averaging just 28 attempts a game -- a shade over four fewer attempts than the regular season. While it's clear the Lakers prefer to do their work closer to the basket, a higher volume night from beyond the arc -- especially if those shots are falling -- could give the Lakers the type of scoring boost they need to force this series back to Los Angeles.

Overall, though, this game will be as much about mentality and effort as it will tactical answers and the ongoing battle of adjustments both sides are making. The Lakers must be prepared for Denver to play their most spirited game yet and must not only match it and survive the runs the Nuggets are bound to go on, but show the resolve and focus of their own to push back and shift the game back in their favor.

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Three Things to Know: Game 5-Lakers at Nuggets 4-29-24

lalkmathew

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Photos: Game 4 – Lakers vs Nuggets (04/27/24)

In a game that could have ended their season if they'd lost, the Lakers fought back and staved off elimination with a 119-108 victory over the Nuggets in Game 4 Saturday night. The win snaps the Nuggets 11-game win streak over the Lakers and sends this series back to Denver for Game 5 where the Lakers will get another chance to keep their season alive.

The Lakers led by as many as 19 in this game and never trailed, upping the number of minutes they've led in this series to 136:29 out of the 192 total played to this point. This speaks to their ability to play winning basketball, while the final results have leaned towards Denver and shown their ability to come back and, ultimately, close out the Lakers down the stretch to claim wins.

That was not the case in Game 4, however, as the Lakers were able to turn around the areas in which they'd been outplayed in the previous contests, winning the battle of the backboards 46-40 and holding serve in the 3rd quarter to only lose two points off their 13-point halftime lead, setting up the 4th quarter as the ultimate test as to whether the team would have the mettle to fend off the defending champs.

The team answered the call and did just that, matching every Nuggets push with a counterpunch of their own, getting key buckets whenever Denver started to pull the game in their direction while mixing in enough defensive stops -- and rebounds -- to be able to hold on down the stretch.

LeBron was brilliant in that final frame, scoring 14 of his 30 points in the 4th quarter, mostly on drives to the rim and power post ups. When his team needed him to be his best, LeBron delivered by making six of his eight shots from the field while playing every second in the quarter (and 14 of 23 overall) to carry the team's offense. Playing mostly out of the pick-and-roll with guards and his big men setting screens for him, LeBron either drove against Denver's drop coverage defense or posted up against switches to control the flow of the game.

Beyond attacking the rim all night (18 of LeBron's shot attempts were in the paint), LeBron also had five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block, playing an all-court game -- particularly in the 2nd half when the intensity picked up and his defensive activity was most needed.

One of LeBron's steals came with 2:42 left in the game when he swiped the ball from Jokic on what was going to be a handoff action with Murray, poking the ball away and then recovering the ball for an open court dunk that pushed the Lakers lead back up to 10. Which they were then able to hold onto down the stretch.

Anthony Davis was also amazing in this game, continuing his string of strong performances this entire series. AD finished with 25 points and a playoff career-high 23 rebounds to go along with six assists, another high-level night on both sides of the ball and an offensive performance in which he continuously got good looks against Denver's defense.

Davis connected on 11 of his 17 shots from the field, with all but one of those attempts coming in the paint and all but three of those coming right at or within the restricted area. AD drove, dove, posted, and slashed his way to the rim, using a combination of quickness and power to keep the defense off balance.

But it was AD's work on the glass that was his biggest contribution to the game, snaring half of his team's total rebounds and helping the Lakers win the battle of the backboards 46-40 -- the first time in the series the Lakers outrebounded Denver. And while AD only had one field goal attempt in the 4th quarter, he was still in the middle of the action, setting ball screens to help free up LeBron, D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to get downhill and into the paint where they could score or create offense for others.

Down the stretch both Russell and Reaves benefited greatly from AD picks, allowing them to get into the paint, with his roll gravity then allowing them to get clean looks off because Jokic never left AD who was ready to receive a pass and score an easy basket. Both Russell and Reaves had wonderful games, scoring efficiently while also making plays for their teammates and their partnership with AD helped facilitate that success.

After closing Game 3 strong, Reaves carried that momentum forward to score 21 points and dish out six assists on seven of 15 shooting while making all six of his free throws. Austin was excellent getting downhill both coming off screens and when working in isolation, and then either getting good shots for himself or his teammates once he got to the paint.

As for Russell, he had a great bounce-back performance after going scoreless in Game 3. Russell matched Reaves with 21 points of his own, burying four of his eight three-pointers and eight of his 15 shots overall. Russell shot the ball with great confidence from beyond the arc, but also mixed in crafty drives for tough floaters and smooth finishes at the rim. Add in his four rebounds and four assists, and Russell played a strong floor game and really helped to lift his team when their backs were up against the wall.

As expected, though, the Nuggets were not going to just fold and let the Lakers do whatever they wanted all game. Denver got some excellent performances of their own, with Jokic posting a 33, 14, and 14 triple-double and Michael Porter Jr. continuing his strong series with a 27-point, 11-rebound game in which he made half of his 20 field goals and drilled four three-pointers. Jamal Murray also had a good scoring night with 22 points, though he needed 23 shot attempts to get those points and did not make a three-pointer on his four attempts.

Credit the Lakers, though, for continuing to push and for making the plays they needed to even as Denver started to turn up their pressure with clear intentions on breaking the Lakers heart one last time. But it was not meant to be this time. And now the Lakers will try to build on this game when they play Game 5 in Denver on Monday.

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Lakers Stay Alive with Game 4 Win Over Nuggets

Mike Trudell

The Lakers (0-3) face elimination on Saturday evening after dropping Game 3 at home on Thursday, with the Nuggets increasing their playoff win streak against the Lakers to seven. The game tips off at 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC, with the pregame show on Spectrum SportsNet starting at 4:30 p.m.

THIRD QUARTER WOESAfter Thursday evening’s difficult Game 3 loss, I asked Austin Reaves what he thought was the difference not just in that game, but across the three games thus far.

“Our third quarters have been atrocious,” summarized the third-year guard.

He is right. Here’s the scoring margin thus far:

Game 1: 32-18 DenverGame 2: 25-20 DenverGame 3: 34-22 Denver

That’s a total of 91 points for Denver to 60 for the Lakers.

After hearing from Reaves, I relayed his thought to LeBron to see what James thought was going on.

“We spent so much energy in the first half building leads, defensive intensity that we have, that we come out in the third quarter with not much energy, kind of lose track to attention to detail that we had in the first half,” LeBron responded. “And you give credit where credit is due with Denver. Those guys make tough shot after tough shot after tough shot.”

Needless to say, if the Lakers have any chance of winning Game 4, they’ll have to figure out how to turn things around in the third quarter.

LOSING THE REBOUNDING WARAnother area of consistent struggle for the Lakers has come on the backboard, which Denver has now controlled for five straight meetings:

Game 3: 51-38 (14-8 offensive)Game 2: 36-34 (9-4)Game 1: 49-40 (15-6)March 2: 47-31 (11-6)Feb. 8: 50-39 (14-10)

“Sometimes it’s the guards on bigger guys, but other times it’s just simple boxing out or going to get it,” said Anthony Davis, who’s averaging 13.3 boards per game, with no other Laker over LeBron’s 6.7. “There were times tonight where (Nuggets players) missed shots and got their own rebound; I think everyone (on the Lakers) is anticipating the other guy going to get it, instead of one of us (just getting) it.”

Sometimes rebounding is simply about personnel, and the Nuggets have one of the NBA’s biggest front lines, with both Nikola Jokic (6’11’’) and Aaron Gordon (6’9’’) dominant on the backboards for different reasons*, plus Michael Porter Jr. (6’10’’).

*Jokic is massive and takes up a ton of space, is intelligent and has the best hands in the NBA, while Gordon is one of the best athletes in the world and has great instincts on the offensive glass.

With Jokic averaging 40.0 minutes per game, Gordon 37.7 and MPJ 37.0 in the postseason, the Lakers have countered with 42.0 minutes for Davis and 40.3 for LeBron. Their third frontcourt starter, Rui Hachimura, has grabbed just 3.3 boards in his 32.3 minutes. And in Game 3, Jaxson Hayes was removed from the rotation after playing just 10 total minutes in Games 1 and 2, leaving the rest of the minutes dispersed among, basically, five guards: Austin Reaves (5.0 boards); D’Angelo Russell (3.0); Taurean Prince* (2.7); Spencer Dinwiddie (1.3) and Gabe Vincent (2.0).

*Prince often plays one of the forward spots, but averaged 2.9 boards per game this season.

In other words, the Lakers have almost always been smaller than the Nuggets, especially with any type of bench lineup at all. In the times they’re closer to matching size (when Hachimura is in with both AD and LeBron), there’s still behind the rebounding eight ball.

In fairness, the Lakers have been without their second and fourth best rebounders this season, per 36 minutes, as Christian Wood (10.5 per 36) and Jarred Vanderbilt (8.6) have been injured for most of the second half of the season. Wood is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, meaning he could make his postseason debut.

THE POSSESSIONS GAMEThe Lakers are losing the possessions margin in this series due in part to the rebounding gap, and also due to the turnover margin being in Denver’s favor, 33 to 26. In theory, LAL would to make up for that by being the more efficient shooting team, and by a considerable margin.

The Nuggets have made 46.4% of their shots overall, though just 26.9% from 3, relative to L.A.’s 49.0% overall, and 30.2% from three. But L.A.’s 3-point volume has been low, and they’ve hit only 26of 86 attempts from distance, to Denver’s 28 of 104.

Game 3 was the roughest for the Lakers from this standpoint, as they hit only 5 of 27 3’s, four of which came in the fourth quarter when the game was largely decided, after just 1 of 14 triples fell in the first three quarters. Denver didn’t shoot the ball well either, but they hit 5 of 22 3’s in the first three quarters, before missing all six of their fourth quarter looks.

The Lakers typically have a big advantage at the charity stripe, having attempted 24.1 per game in the regular season to rank 2nd, and allowed just 18.0 (2nd), for a net of +6.1

Denver, meanwhile, ranked 29th with 19.7 attempts, and allowed 22.0 (20th), a net -2.3.

Yet, the Lakers have taken only four free throws more than the Nuggets, and both teams have made the same amount: 39.

Anthony Davis is doing his part, leading the Lakers with 20 free throw attempts, helping him towards his team-best 32.3 points, plus 13.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 blocks and 0.7 steals in the three games thus far.

Nonetheless, without an advantage on the glass, turnovers, 3’s or free throws, it’s easier to understand how the Lakers are down in the series.

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Three Things to Know: Game 4-Lakers vs. Nuggets 4-27-24

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Photos: Game 3 – Lakers vs Nuggets (04/25/24)

The Lakers again got a great offensive game from Anthony Davis and an efficient scoring night from LeBron James, but it was not enough as their outside shooting struggles continued and their defense and rebounding was not up to the task against Denver's front court. The result was a 112-105 Nuggets victory that drops the Lakers to 0-3 in the series and on the verge of being eliminated by Denver for the 2nd straight season.

On the positive side, Anthony Davis had another wonderful night, leading the Lakers with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists, converting on 14 of his 23 shot attempts from the field and while holding his own defensively and on the backboards against a physical Nuggets team.

AD played with wonderful decisiveness and quickness offensively, diving into the creases of the defense and showing off great burst when attacking the rim off the dribble to score inside irrespective of who was defending him. By the end of the game, Davis often found himself completely surrounded by Nuggets defenders who were either going to force him to pass the ball out or foul him instead of letting him score.

Outside of AD, LeBron scored the ball well from two-point range but, like his teammates, was never able to find his range from behind the arc. LeBron made 12 of his 20 shot attempts overall to score 26 points, but he was just one of six from deep and saw the Nuggets consistently try to shrink the floor on him defensively -- much as they did Davis. LeBron also dished out nine assists and grabbed five rebounds on the night.

Even with LeBron and AD scoring efficiently and finding ways to the rim against a compressed Nuggets defense, it was the Nuggets who had the more balanced attack and found many more avenues to find success against the Lakers on both sides of the floor.

Offensively, Denver got strong performances from both Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. as a great counterbalances to the attention the Lakers sent towards Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Gordon led the Nuggets with 29 points on 12 of 18 shooting, with all of those baskets coming right at the rim. Gordon also grabbed 15 rebounds, five of those on the offensive glass where his combination of strength, quickness, and athleticism proved too dynamic for the Lakers to handle on the backboards.

As for Porter Jr., he scored 20 points on eight of 16 shooting, but his shot making and the timeliness of his shots made those points feel more damaging than the actual number implies. On several occasions Porter Jr. hit off the dribble jumpers that were very well contested, the type of dispiriting shots that are compounded because they often came in the midst of the type of run the Nuggets were on to take the lead and then keep the Lakers at arm's length.

Porter Jr. also added 10 rebounds, one of three Nuggets to grab double-digit rebounds with Gordon and Jokic (15), and contributing to another night in which Denver asserted themselves on the glass and made the Lakers pay for either being too small on the backline in their boxouts or not physical enough when they did have more size there. The Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers 55-45 overall, including grabbing 14 offensive rebounds that they converted into 19 points overall.

Beyond the rebounding, the ultimate difference in this game, however, was that Denver got standout performances from their secondary players while the Lakers simply did not get that same level of production from the equivalent talents on their team.

Austin Reaves did finish the night with 22 points on eight of 17 shooting, but several of those baskets and points came in the game's final minutes when Denver was up double figures. Credit to him for continuing to push and make the shots he did on those possessions, though, and the hope is that his final push can carry over into Game 4. The same could not be said for his backcourt mate, however. After struggling in Game 1 and then a bounce-back performance in Game 2, D'Angelo Russell missed all seven of his shot attempts in Game 3 and went scoreless overall in his 24 minutes of game action.

Overall, then, the Lakers just did not have enough this game. With Jokic and Murray still having very good games of their own and them winning on the margins in the ways they did with their rebounding and secondary scoring, the Lakers could not sustain their early game play to fend off Denver when they really pushed.

And with that, the Lakers are now down 3-0 and looking for answers. They will try to find them and be ready to extend the series when these teams meet again in Game 4 on Saturday.