The NBA playoffs continued, and the Lakers lost 105-112 at home to the Nuggets, suffering a three-game losing streak in the series. In this game, the Lakers who returned to their home court were still full of morale, and they played a perfect 8-0 start to build a double-digit lead in the first quarter. But this time, the Lakers didn't have a long lead, the Nuggets sounded the horn of counterattack in the second quarter, and the climax at the beginning of the third quarter, the Nuggets not only turned the tide, but even extended their advantage to 10 points. Subsequently, although the Lakers did not give up, they were never able to close the point difference, and finally had no choice but to lose. After this game, the Lakers fell behind 0-3, and the suspense of the series was basically ended. So where exactly did the Lakers lose this game? Maybe the data can give us some answers.
James, who shot 12-of-20 from the field, 1-of-6 from three-point range and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, scored 26 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 3 turnovers, and had a plus/minus of -8. Today, Lao Zhan's offensive efficiency is still very high, but it can be seen that even if he is full of attitude, I have to admit that his offensive and defensive influence is indeed not as good as before, and even in the confrontation with Gordon, James can't take advantage, the latter is not inferior to James in terms of efficiency and production, and even rebounding and interior directly exploded the Lakers. Height and strength are not dominant in all aspects, and James's decline is obvious.
Thick eyebrows, shooting 14-of-23 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, he scored 33 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers, with a plus/minus of -4. It can only be said that thick eyebrows are the only fig leaf left for the Lakers. When the Lakers hit the climax, it was basically when the thick eyebrows were on the inside. And when the Lakers are in a desperate situation and need someone to step up, they can only rely on thick eyebrows to chisel ball by ball. In this whole series, thick eyebrows have carried the Lakers on their shoulders, and he is one of the few people who can leave with his head held high.
Reaves, who shot 8-of-17 from the field, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals, with a plus/minus of -4. Reeves' performance today can also be seen as a microcosm of his series this round. Defensively, Reaves was still active in restricting Murray, but the effect could only be described as mediocre. On the offensive end, Reeves has completely lost the magic of the past, the efficiency is average, and he continues to play at critical moments, but it is too late. He couldn't take some of the opportunities that he had been sure to take in the past, and after the Nuggets increased their defensive focus on him, Reaves struggled to get those easy shots.
Russell, 0-of-7 shooting, 0-of-6 three-pointers, he didn't score, only contributed 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover, and his plus/minus was -6. In terms of plus-minus, Russell's on-court efficiency is relatively better on the Lakers' side. However, the Lakers' collapse began with him. In the second quarter, the Lakers held a double-digit lead, Russell gave the ball to Pope face-to-face, and then the defense did not mark, and the offense shot a crazy three-pointer, and the Lakers' advantage was eroded in an instant, and Russell gave people the feeling that his mentality was not on the same level as everyone else, and he was not prepared.
Hachimura, 2-of-4 shooting, 1-of-2 three-pointers, and 0-of-2 free throws, he had 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover, with a plus/minus of -12. The offensive production is seriously insufficient, the defense can't grab rebounds, and Hachimura looks very embarrassed on the court, but there is no way, the Lakers have no one else available, when the other three starting cores you have been relying on (Russell, Reaves, Hachimura) collectively collapsed, and the bench itself can't contribute much, James and thick eyebrows will only struggle. Relying on the two of them, the Lakers don't have any chance to compete with the Nuggets.
As a role player off the bench, Dinwiddie shot 3-of-8 from the field, 0-of-3 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, and he finished with eight points, two rebounds and three assists. Prince shot 3-of-7 from the field and 1-of-4 from three-point range, and he contributed seven points and one rebound. Vincent shot 2-of-4 from the field and 0-of-1 from three-point range, and he had four points and four rebounds. Today, the Lakers' bench players are playing more confidently, but except for Zhan Mei, the remaining few people have no sense of presence on the court at all.