The Lakers’ role players are failing. LeBron James & Anthony Davis
If the Lakers’ players other than LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue to struggle, they will lose to the Nuggets, just as they did in Game 3 on Thursday.
Los Angeles — The Lakers were defeated by the Nuggets for the eleventh time on Thursday, 112-105.
The plot between these two teams is as inventive as a Three’s Company rerun: you can figure out how it ended even if you didn’t see it.
The Lakers jumped off to an early double-digit lead. Anthony Davis and LeBron James carried the club throughout. The Nuggets moved ahead in the second half.
The Nuggets now hold a comfortable 3-0 lead, like they did last season.
The unfortunate aspect of these losses is that AD and LeBron have mostly fulfilled their roles. They’ve been superstars, making big plays in big games. Davis finished Game 3 with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and three assists, while James scored 26 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.
However, that is insufficient when your starting guard, Russell, scores zero points, Hachimura scores just five, and the bench scores somewhat more but is decimated on the boards and in their individual defensive duties.
During postseason games, fans and media alike frequently put their minds on the stars, but the core of James and Davis has failed them this series.
The Nuggets continue to get strong performances from Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, and players like Peyton Watson, while the Lakers can only rely on James and Davis to produce regularly.
That isn’t good enough at this level, and no rotation decisions, tactics, or timeouts will change that. If the supporting cast fails to provide support, the stage will appear empty while Davis and James attempt to be the two best players on the floor at all times for 48 minutes.
“Our offense has struggled, and it’s super frustrating,” Austin Reaves said after the loss. “It’s not fun to lose. Everyone in our locker room should be concerned only with our current loss. That should be all there is to it.”
When the Lakers face the Nuggets, they look like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
D’Angelo Russell has a tremendous performance in Game 2, while Reaves struggles to score. When Reaves scores 22 points in Game 3, Russell fails to score. Rui Hachimura makes a strong defensive effort in Game 1 before missing the remainder of the series.
Everything that may go wrong does, and while you can look inward for change, the issue is as apparent as day, even