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Former MVP Nikola Jokic has been on a roll in these playoffs. He now faces a tough matchup against the size and strength of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets team hosts Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday.
The Nuggets were 2-2 against the Lakers this season. They won both games at home and lost both games in LA. Each of the four games was decided by at least 11 points.
The Lakers have had some success defending Jokic. The big man averages 19.0 points vs the Lakers in his career.
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Breaking down each game Jokic played against LA this season
Nikola Jokic only scored more than 25 once in his four games against LA this season. One of the Lakers' losses to the Nuggets this season came in a game without LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LA is 2-1 against Denver when both stars played.
Let’s take a look at each of Jokic’s games against the Lake Show this season. In January, the Nuggets beat the Lakers at home 122-109. Jokic was limited on the offensive end. He went a perfect 5 for 5 from the field, totaling 14 points. He was more of a playmaker in the game with 16 assists and 11 rebounds.
In mid-December, Jokic dropped 25 points on the road in LA. The Lakers won the game easily 126-108. The Nuggets star rounded out his game in the loss with 11 rebounds and eight assists
The other two contests against the Lakers came early in the season in October. Jokic showed out with a 31-point performance in the Nuggets 110-99 win at home. The 28-year-old then scored 23 points with 14 rebounds and six assists in Denver’s 121-110 loss in LA.
Jokic did acknowledge that these Lakers are a new and different team than the one he faced before. He knows that the roster makeup presents new challenges and they are not the same defensively as the team he played during the regular season.
The Lakers dramatically changed their roster at the trade deadline in February. They held a 25-31 record before the trade. LA dealt Russell Westbrook in a three-team trade and received D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt.
LA also made deals for Mo Bamba and Rui Hachimura. They went 18-8 since the trade during the regular season and have now won two playoff rounds without home court advantage.
Denver has home court in this series and has been unstoppable at home. They were 34-7 at home during the regular season and undefeated at home during the playoffs.
