In Game 3 of the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers ushered in a key battle. The Lakers got off to a strong start, outscoring their opponents by 10 points in the first quarter. Both sides did not open on the offensive end in the second quarter, especially the three-point shooting was worse, but the Nuggets are slowly chasing points, and the Lakers' on-court advantage is being eroded. The Nuggets played a counterattack climax in the third quarter, winning by 12 points in a single quarter, thus sealing the game in one fell swoop. In the end, the Lakers lost to the Nuggets 105-112 and faced the embarrassment of being swept.
Star performance
James started the game hot, he sent assists to thick eyebrows and Hachimura in the first quarter, and on the offensive end he came with a tomahawk-style dunk to surprise the whole game, and he scored 8 points and 3 assists in 4 of 4 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, James first assisted Dinwiddie for an easy layup, and then made a strong back turn for a layup inside. In addition, James also made Gordon twice in a row and interfered with the ball twice.
Russell failed to continue the hot hand of the last game, opening with three consecutive irons, indicating that he may have to pull his hip today. In the second quarter, he was still out of shape on the offensive end and had low-level turnovers. In the second half, Russell needs to adjust himself in time, or the Lakers will still be difficult to play, and the Nuggets are good at playing in the second half.
Thick eyebrows opened with aggressiveness, scoring points on consecutive inside shots, and being deterrent on the defensive end, and he scored 12 points and 5 rebounds in the first quarter. In the second quarter, his offense was a little calmer, and after grabbing the frontcourt rebound inside, he scored strongly against the defense. In addition, he and James have played a wonderful game many times. Thick eyebrows need to play better in the second half, and they need better restrictions on Jokic on the defensive end.
Hachimura started the game aggressively defensively, defending Jokic well and hitting a three-pointer on the offensive end, and he picked up today. Since then, he has faded away on both ends of the floor. Hachimura's play is crucial for the Lakers, especially when he needs to shoot three-pointers.
Rivers played aggressively today, using his good killings to hit the basket multiple times. He topped the opponent on the inside in the second quarter and scored points on an easy layup. He was the most consistent scorer today except for Zhan Mei. Hopefully he can continue to play and play his skills on the offensive end.
Team Analysis
First, the Lakers' three-point shooting is really bad, Russell, Rivers and Dinwiddie outside the three-point line have failed to open the start for the Lakers, so the Nuggets can fully shrink the defense, and the Lakers will play more uncomfortable. Second, the Lakers' defensive strategy against the Nuggets was quite successful. The outside defense caused the Nuggets to miss the three-point shot, and the inside took a trap on Jokic, which made it difficult for the Nuggets to play.