The Los Angeles Lakers showed they weren’t trying to duck any matchups in the postseason when they tried their hardest to move up the Western Conference standings to qualify for the 2024 NBA playoffs.
There was talk about how the Lakers should consider losing their Play-In Tournament game against the New Orleans Pelicans to avoid having to play the Denver Nuggets in the first round, but they proved that was never in consideration for them.
Los Angeles played Denver well to begin Game 1 of their playoff rematch, even going up by as much as 12 points in the first half.
However, the bottom fell out in the third quarter as the Lakers couldn’t buy a bucket while the Nuggets scored almost at will.
Nikola Jokic took over the game in the second half, roasting any sort of defensive look that Los Angeles threw at him.
Shannon Sharpe discussed what the Lakers need to do in order to slow down the two-time MVP, via “Nightcap.”
“Lakers need to switch their looks up on Jokic,” Sharpe said.
Lakers need to switch their looks up on Jokic 🗣️ @ShannonSharpe @ochocinco pic.twitter.com/546CxqhFLx
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) April 21, 2024
As Sharpe noted, L.A. opted to start the game with Rui Hachimura guarding Jokic so Anthony Davis could roam off of Aaron Gordon and help in the paint.
The strategy worked before head coach Mike Malone made his adjustments to find ways to get Jokic in single coverage and let him run rampant in the painted area.
Jokic has seen about every defense that a team can throw at him, but mixing it up and keeping him as off balance as possible will be the Lakers’ only chance of pulling off an upset.
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D’Angelo Russell Has Concerning Trend In Past 5 Playoff Games Vs Nuggets