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LA Lakers head coach Darvin Ham admitted that the team isn't in a great state mentally. The team's 2024 NBA playoff first-round campaign against the Denver Nuggets has been off to a woeful start with three losses on the trot. They are on the brink of elimination and a Game 4 loss will bring the curtains down on the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers had every chance of winning Game 2, but were undone by Jamal Murray's buzzer-beater in the final seconds. Game 3 saw the wind knocked out of them as the Nuggets maintained their pressure on LA's hapless defense and crumbling offense.
According to The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Ham revealed that the dressing room mood was irritated, but there was optimism that they were ready for change:
“Guys are irritated, frustrated, fed up, ready to make a change,” Ham said.
The Lakers meet Denver at the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday for Game 4. A win will keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss will be a repeat of last year's 4-0 sweep at the Nuggets' hands in the Western Conference Finals.
LA Lakers unit has been predictable against Nuggets
The LA Lakers ran back a team that has most members from last year's edition. While there have been new faces in Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood, the role players haven't exactly been an ideal foil for both LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Throw in an injury-riddled season to the bench, and the side has lacked ammo on both ends of the floor. The reliance on James and Davis, a misfiring D'Angelo Russell, and the massive absence of a point-of-attack defender has been LA's issue since last season.
Despite being a defense-first team, they have been unsuccessful in negating the Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic threat. And if they somehow manage to keep the two quiet, they let the likes of Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. go by and score points at will.
The 3-point shooting, turnovers and perimeter defense have been a problem as well. This LA unit will need some massive upgrades in the summer should they hit one early. Despite their playoff run, they have been predictable and vulnerable against teams that beat them on size and skill.
Their top-heavy and offense-focused unit can only get them so far, and now the Lakers are in danger of being eliminated by a team they have no answers to.
Do you think the Lakers can win Game 4 and stay alive in the playoffs? Or will it be another clean sweep for the Nuggets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
