Try as they might, the Los Angeles Lakers just cannot seem to beat the Denver Nuggets.
In Game 3 of their first round series on Thursday night, the Lakers, playing at home in front of a lively crowd, raced to an 8-0 lead and held a 33-23 lead after one quarter. The defending champions, level-headed and composed as they are, got the game within four at 53-49 heading into halftime.
After Jamal Murray tied the game at 55 with 10:27 remaining in the third, the Nuggets kept the pressure on the Lakers and took an 83-75 lead into the final 12 minutes. The Lakers got the game within six when LeBron James hit a jump shot to open the quarter, but the Nuggets took a 15-point advantage with 3:02 remaining after Nikola Jokic scored inside on Anthony Davis and converted a free-throw. Foul shots and garbage time points produced the 112-105 final score.
The road team got extremely well balanced efforts from its key players - Aaron Gordon finished with 29 points and 15 rebounds, Jokic posted 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, Murray 22 points and nine assists, and Michael Porter Jr. put up 20 pounds and 10 rebounds.
For the home side, Anthony Davis led with 33 points and 15 rebounds, while James had 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Both teams shot exactly 48.9 percent, but the Lakers were convincingly outrebounded, 51-38. Jokic, Gordon, and Porter as a trio had just three less rebounds (35) than the Lakers had as a team.
Game 3 was the 11th consecutive loss to the Nuggets for the Lakers, who have not won against Jokic and Co. since November of 2022. While the Lakers have individual talent, the Nuggets function as a unit much better and have great chemistry.
In Jokic, the Nuggets have the league’s top player who is a load inside, has touch from the outside, is very fundamentally sound, has guard-like skills in being able to initiate offense and is one of the best passers the game as seen. He very well might be in line for his third-consecutive MVP in a matter of weeks. Murray is a playmaking guard who can shoot, finish at the rim, and create space on his jump shots. Gordon is a utility player who defends, rebounds, and runs the floor. Porter Jr, at 6 foot, 10 inches, is a sniper from the outside.
While the Laker lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, James, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis is very good, it does not compare and has its flaws.
Russell is a worse version of Murray, Hachimura cannot score like Porter Jr. or do the other things that Gordon can, and Davis is outmatched physically by Jokic.
One of the issues with the Lakers as a whole is that Davis playing center puts too much pressure on him to be a true difference maker at both ends. He clearly has the talent offensively, but his having to guard Jokic at the other end expends a lot of energy. He has been dominant at times and puts up big numbers, but the energy expended on defense takes a toll on him. There also isn’t much variation between the Laker guards. Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie are similar players, as is Gabe Vincent. The absence of Jarred Vanderbilt does not impact their offense much, but would help on the defensive end.
One of the other issues has to do with James, who still at age 39 has too much responsibility with this team. He should not be depended on to do it all like he has throughout his career. Surely, he is still capable of putting up big numbers, but the team should not be depending on him for that at his age - not because he cannot do it, but because he should not have to do it. The players around him should be capable and consistent enough to put up numbers where he does not have to produce 26/8/7 every night. At age 39, he should not have to bear that do-it-all burden. If the Lakers are to move forward with the James and Davis tandem, they need to put better pieces around James that take the pressure of having to do everything away from him.
The series is not over yet, but given that the Lakers have not won a game between the two teams in 11 contests, it is likely a foregone conclusion that the Lakers’ season comes to an end on Saturday night when the teams meet for Game 4.
It begs the question of what will happen to the Lakers going forward. James only has a couple years left and it does not make sense for the Lakers to keep him if they are not true contenders, which consecutive play-in finishes, and back-to-back potential sweeps, indicate. Dinwiddie, Prince, and Max Christie are the only expiring contracts on the roster, and James is due $51.4 million next season and Davis $43.2 million. Both have player options for 2024-2025. Davis is owned nearly $280 million through 2027-2028, when he will be 35.
James wants to play one season with his son Bronny, who is a projected second-round draft choice in 2024. Theoretically, the Lakers could also trade for Bronny if he is drafted elsewhere.
For Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka, it is worth considering breaking up the duo of James and Davis. Davis, who was dominant in the Lakers’ 2020 title run and has been this season at times, played 76 games in 2023-2024, his most since 2017-2018. The issue is not his production or his talent. Rather, it is just that the duo of he and James have seemed to run its course, a championship four years ago but now a duo that does not have good enough of a supporting cast to get past the top team in the conference. Simply put, they need a lot of help to get back into the title picture. If Davis is your guy moving forward, they will need to find a way to get another star to play with him.
Reaves is on a cap-friendly deal through 2026-2027, a player option of nearly $15 million. At 25 years old, he has proven to be a piece for the future. He can create his own shot, shoot from the outside, finish through contact, and is a capable defender. Russell, according to reports, will opt of his contract this offseason, which includes a player option. Such a move by Russell would be good for the Lakers, who need more from that position, particularly consistent play. Russell is 14-for-43 from the field in the series, and 8-for-26 from three-point range. His inconsistency has hurt the team this season.
Rui Hachimura, just 25, averaged 13.6 points on on 54 percent shooting during the regular season. He is 5-for-15 in this series.
The Lakers very well could keep the duo of James and Davis together with the hope of building a stronger supporting cast around the two in order to contend seriously in the next couple of years. On the flip side, they could allow both to have new beginnings, get draft picks, and build on youth organically for their next title run.
From Wilt and West to Showtime to Kobe and Shaq to Kobe and the early days of James and Davis, the Lakers have been, throughout their history, all about championships. 17 of them attest to that.
The front office has some serious decisions to make.
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