After going 2-0 down to the Nuggets thanks to a heartbreaking buzzer-beater from Jamal Murray, the Los Angeles Lakers season was virtually over. However, when a team boasts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it’s not easy to write them off. Fox Sports analyst Rachel Nichols tweeted in support of the Lakers before their 3rd game of the series and said that she “fully expects them to get a win or two”, but concluded by implying that it would be easier said than done.
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Her words soon proved right, as the Los Angeles Lakers got off to a hot start and took a 10-point lead at the end of the first quarter. But that’s about as much as they could hurt the Nuggets.
Denver responded with a 26-20 second quarter, that cut LA’s lead to four and they took control of proceedings with an immaculate third quarter, where they outscored the home team 34-22. The eight-point deficit heading into the final period should have pushed the Lakers to throw the kitchen sink at the Nuggets, but it seemed they were mentally defeated against a team that had beaten them 10 times in a row. Their lack of belief was evident in LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ body language as they took their seats during a timeout late in the fourth quarter and looked like they’d prefer being anywhere but inside the Cypto.com Arena.
The result was another comfortable quarter for the Nuggets and a seven-point win that saw them take a 3-0 lead in the series. LA is now tasked with overturning the final boss of all deficits. Per Statmuse, only five franchises in American sports history have overturned a 0-3 deficit in a seven-game series, with none being an NBA team. The Lakers could see this as an opportunity to create history, but, Nichols observed, they look like an old and injury-riddled horse waiting to be put out of its misery, rather than a determined challenger willing to go out on its shield.
While Lakers nation will hold on to hope that their team will show up and deliver a performance to be proud of in Game 4, the signs point to the contrary.
Disconnect between the Lakers players and coaching staff
There’s trouble brewing in the Lakers’ camp and it was evident before the Game 3 tipped-off in LA. Following the Lakers’ loss in Game 2, Anthony Davis stunningly claimed that the team was clueless during games when the opposition got on a roll, a direct indictment of the coaching staff.
Instead of defusing the situation, head coach Darvin Ham went on the offensive and dismissed Davis’ claims, telling ESPN reporters,
“I just think sometimes when plays don’t turn out the way you think they should, then the frustration sets in a little bit. But I don’t think it’s [from] us not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff… I just chalk that up to being frustrated. It’s an emotional game, the way it ended and all of that… I’ll agree to disagree on that one.”
If the disconnect wasn’t evident enough from this awkward exchange, D’Angelo Russell sitting by himself while the rest of the team was in a huddle should do the trick.
Everything points to the Nuggets closing the series in Game 4 and continuing on their quest for a second NBA title. As for the Lakers, it’s back to the drawing board after another humbling at the hands of Denver.
