I thought we did a good job of just hitting first, on the road especially, and keeping that up even when they made a run. "We knew the crowd was going to be into it, and they were. "No, I just thought we had the right mindset going in," said Murray, when asked if the momentum he had in Game 2 carried over to this game. Murray became just the fourth player in the past 25 years to now have three different halves with 30 or more points in the playoffs. With Russell guarding him, Murray carried over the momentum from his 23-point fourth quarter in Game 2, and scored an astonishing 30 points in the first half. Instead, Ham stuck with Russell and the Lakers trailed by 14 points in the first quarter by the time he went to the bench with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Because of that, most people thought a change in the starting lineup was not only needed, but inevitable.
Russell has also not provided much help offensively either. The latter, is a series-high -53 when he is on the court, and has been targeted defensively by Denver in the half-court. Yet that didn't sop Ham from starting both of them together in Game 1 and Russell in Game 2. Undersized D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schröder are simply too small for the 6-foot-5 duo of Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
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It's evident to anyone watching the series that the Lakers have a size problem when it comes to their backcourt defense. The reason is in large part due to Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham and his head-scratching decisions when it comes to his starting lineup. It's a really good game for us."ĭEN reclaims the lead, 4Q on ABC! /SrSd4jLWIC- NBA May 21, 2023ĭespite being back on their home court, the Lakers didn't start the game as lively as they have during their previously perfect postseason stretch at Arena. They scored 108 points I think that's a really good number. Nikola Jokic, the two-time NBA MVP, was in foul-trouble for most of the game, but he dominated in the fourth quarter, finishing with 24 points in the victory. You know, we'll go watch film tomorrow, and we can either come out Monday and go home or we can fight for another day, and with the group of guys that we've got, I know what that answer will be." I've spoke about probably the last two months, maybe more than that since the trade deadline, swinging, throwing punches to fight to get to this opportunity. "But like you said, our backs have been against the wall before. "Obviously right now I'm pissed off with how the outcome has come the last three games," said Reaves after the loss. LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists. We knew if we did that on the road in front of his crowd, this would be a really tough place to play."Īnthony Davis led the Lakers with 28 points and 18 rebounds in the loss. We had 17 turnovers for 21 points last game. "We fully expected LeBron and everybody else on that team to come out ultra aggressive. "We understood what we were getting ready to face," said Malone of how his team was so successful on the road in Game 3. It's a one-game series for us."Įntering the game, the Lakers were a perfect 7-0 on their home floor, but now the Nuggets are the only team remaining in the playoffs that is perfect inside their own arena. Just one at a time," said LeBron James of the Lakers' mindset now facing elimination.
The Lakers are now on the brink of elimination for the first time this postseason as the Nuggets have a stranglehold on the series 3-0, and can sweep the 17-time champions on Monday in Game 4. NASCAR Power Rankings: Kyle Busch rises after Gateway win
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