LeBron James made his highly-anticipated return to the Lakers following a seven-game absence due to a groin injury. But his return was spoiled by the Bulls, who handed the Lakers a 146-115 hammering. Despite this embarrassing loss, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes they are one of two teams that can defeat MVP candidate Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
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The NBA regular season is in it’s final stretch. The postseason is fast approaching, as most teams have only 11 games remaining in their schedule. Lacking big men, Los Angeles has a clear weakness in size, but Smith doesn’t view that as a major deterrent in a potential matchup against the Nuggets.
On ESPN’s First Take, Smith picked the Lakers and the West’s best, Oklahoma City Thunder, as the two teams able to beat the Nuggets, heaping extra praise on the Purple and Gold. Surprising, given his past beef with LBJ.
“I would tell you Oklahoma City, obviously, and the Lakers,” Smith said. “We can’t summarily dismiss what we’ve seen from the Lakers defensively over the last three months where they’ve been the one of the best defensive teams in all of basketball. So I see that, and I see Denver’s lack of depth as problematic.”
Smith’s assessment of the Lakers is factual. Although there were initial defensive concerns after swapping Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the team’s defense has thrived. The Lakers hold the fourth-best defense since the start of 2025. Stephen A also pointed to the lack of depth in the Nuggets line-up as another concern.
Stephen A. didn’t provide much reasoning for choosing the Thunder, simply stating they’re “elite.” Co-host Shannon Sharpe agreed with Smith’s take and choose the same two teams as the best bets to overthrow Jokic.
The Lakers are peaking at the right time
With the playoffs fast approaching, injuries are the biggest nightmare for contending teams. Fortunately for the Lakers, players who were missing from the rotation are back in the lineup. Their last game against the Bulls featured James and Rui Hachimura’s return from extended absences.
Before LeBron’s injury, the Lakers briefly held the two-seed in the West. They have since fallen back down to the fourth seed. They are only two games behind the Rockets in recapturing the two-spot.
If their efforts to return to the top of the West fall short, they’ll need to at least secure a top-four seed. This will ensure them home-court advantage for the first round come playoff time. It could add just that little bit extra to their quest for banner number 18.
