The Los Angeles Lakers will return to their home court to host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, in what could be the Lakers' biggest game of the season. In the first two games, the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, have been unable to find a way to beat Jokic's Nuggets. Judging from the first two games, Anthony Davis didn't lose to Jokic on the offensive end, but he couldn't defend Jokic. If the Lakers want to beat the Nuggets, Anthony Davis' play is crucial.
Anthony Davis is the Lakers' best player on both ends of the floor, and without Davis, the first two games wouldn't have been as difficult to solve, and the score was scorching. In this game, Davis averaged 32.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, shooting over 61 percent from the field in both games. But unfortunately, the ongoing low back injury has once again put Davis on the injury list.
Davis strained his back in the playoff game against the Pelicans. While the Lakers won the play-in game against the Pelicans, Davis went off injured with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
To make matters worse, LeBron James is also doubtful for the next game due to a left ankle tendon lesion. While James and Davis will certainly play in this most crucial game, it is unknown whether they will be at their best.
Only 7.5% of teams in NBA history have come back from 2-0 down in the playoffs. Although the Lakers still have a chance, it will still be difficult to beat the Nuggets in this best-of-seven game.
For the Lakers to eliminate the Nuggets and reach the Western Conference semifinals, head coach Ham will have to make some major changes. First, D'Angelo Russell needs more time and space to score with the ball. Russell has proven himself to be a great shooter, and while it may be a bit shaky, the Lakers don't have a better option.
Austin Reaves and Hachimura were the culprits of the Lakers' last loss. Hachimura was undoubtedly the worst player in Game 2, with the Japanese finishing with a poor 3-point and 5 rebounds in 38 minutes of playing time with a plus/minus of -7.
When everyone thought the Lakers were going to be eliminated, James didn't seem to think so, and he had a lot of faith in the team. James vowed to defend his home court, "We have to hit every three-point gap, we have to win if we have the opportunity, and we have to play a little bit faster between offense and defense, and we have to use the pick-and-roll to attack Jokic more." ”