The shorthanded Lakers simply didn’t have enough vs. the Nuggets Monday night, falling in Denver 122-109 to snap their 5-game winning streak.
While the team played hard and fought throughout to keep the game competitive, the team’s injury issues caught up to them in this one. Playing their third game in four nights, LeBron James’ sore left ankle kept him on the sideline — where he would later be joined by Patrick Beverley who, after slipping on a drive to the hoop in the 2nd quarter, left the game for good with a right hip injury.
The remaining Lakers simply couldn’t generate enough offense to keep pace with one of the best home teams in the NBA. A game after shooting 61% against the Kings, the Lakers connected on 44.1% (41-93) of their shots in Denver, including going 8-28 from behind the arc. Coming off games of 35 and 38 minutes in the team’s back-to-back wins over the weekend, Dennis Schröder looked particularly impacted by the mile-high air, connecting on three of his 13 attempts from the floor and missing all five of his attempts from distance.
On the other side of the floor, the Lakers lack of size caught up with them, particularly on the glass and in being able to protect the rim. Denver scored 52 points in paint and was able to turn 14 offensive rebounds into 20 second chance points. The Nuggets then added 23 points off 13 Lakers turnovers, giving their offense another boost beyond their ability to score in the halfcourt.
Individually, the Nuggets were led by Nikola Jokic’s12 point, 11 rebound, and 16 assist triple-double. Content on being a facilitator, Jokic only took five shot attempts (making all of them) but expertly sprayed the ball around the court to teammates. Adding to that was Jamal Murray who led the Nuggets with 34 points on 13-29 shooting. Murray was able to connect on five of his nine attempts from deep, while the Lakers did a good job of contesting his shots inside the arc.
The Lakers were led by Russell Westbrook’s 27 points on 10-21 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Like Schröder, Westbrook took some time to find his rhythm shooting 1-9 from the field in the first half while dealing with a dislocated right pinky finger he popped back into place twice. But he ultimately did find his range in the final two quarters, creating good shots for himself by getting into the paint and finishing with short jumpers and layups over and around defenders.
Max Christie also had a good scoring night after being moved into the starting lineup for LeBron, pouring in a career high 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. Max knocked down two of his three shots from distance and showed good poise in getting to his shot off the dribble and in transition against good defensive pressure. After the game, Darvin Ham noted how Max was able to “keep things simple and play within himself”, noting that him playing a solid game was “all we needed him to be.”
Credit to the team for competing hard throughout, putting some good runs together, and getting the game to within five points in the 2nd half through persistent pressure and timely shotmaking. Ultimately, though, they fell short on a night that injuries and some untimely plays went against them vs. the team with the top record in the Western Conference.
The Lakers will return home and after a couple days off will try to get back to their winning ways against the Mavericks on Thursday night.
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