Compared to the reversal of the lead in the previous two games, today's game seems to be the most acceptable reversal for Lakers fans. Of course, after the desperation of the first two games, the mentality of Lakers fans is hardly worse.
In the opening game, the Lakers were 8-0 like a rainbow, and the defensive counterattack flew up. James defensively played against Gordon and actively chose to let go of the opponent to pinch the Nuggets' passing lane, and the opening worked wonders.
But letting go of Gordon means that your basket will be bombarded by Gordon in various ways, and the result is indeed that Gordon was unscrupulous under the basket throughout the game, 12 of 18, 29 points and 15 rebounds, and the scoring was the highest on the Nuggets team.
It can be understood that Gordon's scoring is the Lakers' defensive choice. With this defensive strategy, the Lakers did lead by as many as 12 points in the first half, and then the lead was eroded to 4 points at halftime.
The Nuggets gave up 33 points in the first quarter, and the next three quarters of the game didn't allow the Lakers to score more than 23 points in a single quarter. The Lakers' style of play with the ball hitting the basket did show momentum in the opening game, but this game was playing, and many people realized that why the Lakers couldn't make a three-point shot?
After Hachimura made a three-pointer in the opening game, the Lakers fell into an incomparably long three-point window. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers were 1 of 14 three-pointers, and the third quarter became the turning point of the game.
The more the Lakers can't shoot three-pointers, the more compact the Nuggets shrink inside, and the more uncomfortable the Lakers' blocking and pick-and-roll play. The Lakers' passing route was infinitely compressed, and the consecutive mistakes during that period directly buried the game, from leading to falling behind, a matter of a moment.
In fact, the Nuggets made 13 mistakes today, and the Lakers only had seven, but a large number of mistakes were concentrated in the third quarter when the Lakers' mentality was unbalanced, and the momentum of the game was reversed in an instant. It has been mentioned many times that the Lakers have no margin for error, even if the Nuggets seem to make more mistakes, but the Lakers only need to relax for a few minutes, and the game is gone.
The Lakers wanted to limit Jokic's interior scoring, but in the end, no one seemed to be able to limit him. The Nuggets scored 20 points with four players, and Murray still didn't feel good on 8-of-21 shooting, but Porter's basket against the Lakers was really evil. It doesn't look like a 2-of-6 three-pointer is also very accurate, but some shots can really kill the Lakers' game mentality.
You can even feel that the Nuggets haven't used 100 percent of their strength yet, and Jokic is nowhere near where he is giving his all. It's not the best of the Nuggets, but it's enough to grind the Lakers to death with a blunt knife in these three games.
With 33 points and 15 rebounds, Thick Mei is still the best player for the Lakers in this series. But the last game has proven that even if the thick eyebrows don't concede a single goal, there is still no way to prevent the Lakers' rout.
In one round in the final quarter, the thick eyebrows were almost surrounded by the Nuggets under the basket. The Nuggets' defense completely abandoned the Lakers' outside line, and Dinwiddie, Vincent, and Prince stood on the outside line and the Nuggets didn't look at it.
The Lakers were 5-of-27 from three-point range, and before Reaves hit a series of useless three-pointers in the final minute of the final quarter, the Lakers' guard line made a three-pointer, and the first three three-pointers came from Hachimura, James and Prince.
The Lakers played the ball too reversely, Russell didn't score a point in the whole game, and I wasn't even too surprised, his hand would definitely slip, but I didn't expect it to slip to Marianas.
Ham actually did enough today, he adjusted the rotation, and Dinwiddie and Vincent got more opportunities. The Lakers' bench also played much better than the previous two games. It's just that players can't shoot threes, and Ham can't help it.
James' current physical fitness may only support him to play two quarters of the game with all his might, and during the period of consecutive errors in the third quarter, James's concentration is indeed much worse. Today's 1-of-6 three-pointer may also reflect that James' physical reserves have reached the limit.
James' opening few assists were truly impressive, but it's impossible for you to keep him in that defensive form throughout the game. Offense and defense, the current James can only take care of one head. So it's normal for him to be blown up by Gordon and lose his rebounds.
The more I watch games like this, the more I think about how James played as a young man. The physical talent monster of the Knight 1.0 period, the all-round monster of the Heat period, and the ultimate body of the Knight 2.0 period. Even the Lakers' James in the early stage was far better than he is now.
At his peak, James was able to attack and defend one shoulder, and whoever was the strongest, I would fight, and whoever was the most difficult to defend, I would defend. By now, there are some things you have to recognize.
The Lakers have lost 11 straight against the Nuggets, and the last time they won against the Nuggets was in 2022, when Wei Shao was still with the Lakers. After the series 0-3, the Lakers have been declared the end of the season early, and the only suspense now is probably whether the Lakers will be swept away.
In all fairness, the Lakers have played well in these three games, and the cards in their hands are almost out. But helplessness and the Nuggets are indeed a gap in hard power, and the second game is the best opportunity to end the losing streak, but if you miss it, you miss it.
At least the Lakers still have a chance to end the losing streak, sometimes it's not terrible to lose, it's really terrible to coax.