The Los Angeles Lakers were just beginning to get into their groove with defiant victories against the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards led by inspiring performances from superstar LeBron James.
However, it all fell apart when the Lakers met the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets. NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith had an interesting take regarding the Lakers’ loss.
Stephen A. Smith blasts Lakers over big night’s failure
Following the Lakers’ hard-fought victory against the Wizards, superstar LeBron James was just nine points away from reaching 40,000 NBA points. It was certain that the star would create history against Denver Nuggets. However, the uncertainty lied in whether the Lakers would be able to grasp a win over their rivals.
Effortlessly, the timeless LeBron James cruised to history. With a dominant spin move against Michael Porter Jr., the King drove into the paint and finished his layup with certainty. Fans all across the arena rose up to praise LeBron James for setting another record and becoming the first player to reach 40,000 points.
As the game progressed and moved away from James’ historic moment, both team fought tirelessly trying to establish a lead over the other. With multiple deadlocks, the Denver Nuggets decided to finish matters at the Crypto.com Arena. Leveraging Jokic’s intelligence and Jamal Murray’s speed, the duo converted a flurry of baskets, ultimately shifting the game in favor of the Nuggets.
They secured a victory after a hard-fought battle against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Following the Lakers’ loss, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith highlighted an interesting coincidence that occurs whenever the Lakers face the Nuggets.
Stephen A. Smith said, “Opening night, the Lakers … lose to the Nuggets. The night Kobe’s statue is revealed: they lose. … LeBron James surpasses 40,000 points … they lose. Seems like
the big moments, the Lakers don’t measure up to.”
The statistics fully support Smith’s statement. On opening night a few months ago, the Lakers suffered a disappointing loss to the Nuggets, 119-107. During the unveiling of Kobe’s statue in front of the Lakers’ arena, they once again lost to Nikola Jokic and his team, 114-106. Now, their latest defeat aligns with LeBron’s entry into the 40,000 points club, marking a bittersweet conclusion to the superstar’s star-studded night.
Nuggets stretch winning run to four over Lakers
The Denver Nuggets’ victory over the Los Angeles Lakers earlier today marked the Nuggets’ fourth consecutive victory over the Purple and Gold extending from last season.
From the Lakers’ point of view, it has almost become impossible for them to beat the dominant Nuggets no matter what they do. Despite dominant performances from LeBron James and his co-superstar Anthony Davis every now and then, the Nuggets just have been the better team led by consistent performances by Nikola Jokic and occasional heat-checks from players like Michael Porter Jr.
Speaking on the Denver Nuggets ability to excel in the final few minutes of a game, Porter Jr. said, “I think we got a lot of guys who feel comfortable under pressure, you got Nikola, the best player in the world. You know, Jamal with the ball in his hands a lot. And then you got shooters who are ready to knock down shots under pressure time, so just a lot of guys that are comfortable in those situations.”
Superstar LeBron James also admitted that the Nuggets were the far better team. James said, “They have our number. It’s always kind of the fourth quarter, the last six minutes or the last few minutes of the game. They make plays, we don’t make plays, and that can be frustrating.”
With just one more matchup left this season between the two teams, the Lakers will hope to get one back in the final matchup of the season.
