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The reigning champions LA Lakers are set to face the Denver Nuggets and both teams, possessing some of the NBA's most elite talent, will go toe-to-toe on Thursday night. The game will showcase a clash featuring LA Lakers' superstar LeBron James, alongside Anthony Davis, against Denver Nuggets star duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.
LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets: Key matchups to look out for
Anthony Davis and LeBron James are once, again, the focal point for the LA Lakers team. The 2020 NBA Champions will be relying heavily on their star duo to take them past the finishing line against the Denver Nuggets. The home team will have their own star duo to throw at the visitors in the form of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
The biggest one-on-one battle could come down to the matchup between the Joker and Anthony Davis. The former, in particular, has been in sensational form this season and is averaging a triple-double while making a case for the MVP honors.
In what will be a 2019-20 post-season Orlando Bubble rematch, let's take a look at 3 key matchups that will play a pivotal role in deciding the LA Lakers encounter against the Denver Nuggets.
#1 Nikola Jokic vs Anthony Davis
This is a blockbuster matchup between two of the league's best big men. The two stars were already matched up in the bubble during the Western Conference Finals, and Anthony Davis came out on top in five games.
Jokic serves as the Western Conference Player of the month though, averaging 26.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists this season.
During the post-season bubble Western Conference Finals, Jokic averaged 21.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. However, Anthony Davis and company would get the best of Jokic and Denver, as the LA Lakers would take the series 4-1.
Davis scored 37 points in the final game of the series to help the LA Lakers advance to the finals. He averaged 31.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in the WCF.
This year, Davis is having a, relatively, good season thus far for the LA Lakers; He's averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds this season. Although Jokic is operating at a higher level currently, Davis could raise his game up a notch against the dominant Serbian.
LeBron James vs Michael Porter Jr.
Considering Michael Porter Jr. will come off the bench this game, it's well noted the Nuggets' small forward has been assigned to guarding James at times in the past, especially during the Western Conference Finals.
Most importantly, the forward must be careful while taking on the task of guarding the King. Porter Jr. was limited in the Nuggets' last two games due to foul trouble. Denver coach Michael Malone took note of that and limited Porter Jr.'s minutes in Sunday's games against the Jazz.
LeBron James has continued to perform at an elite level in his 18th year and is averaging 25.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.5 assists for the season. The LA Lakers star will look to get things going offensively and turn things up a gear, as per usual. We should expect a lot of switch coverage on James, with Porter Jr. more than likely switching off James on off-ball screens.
That said, James has the advantage over the young Porter Jr. and will look to exploit the former 2018 1st round draft pick.
In his post-season bubble outing, the 4x MVP averaged 27.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game.
Jamal Murray vs Dennis Schroder
Jamal Murray and Dennis Schroder will be a matchup we can look out for. The Canadian serves as the catalyst for this Nuggets team and will look to take matters into his own hands against the LA Lakers.
Murray is averaging 18.9 points and 4.0 rebounds on 45.5% shooting this season. The Nuggets star guard put on a show during the Western Conference Finals, averaging 25.5, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Schroder is no stranger to matching up against the league's most elite guards. He will look to contain Murray and slow the former NBA Rookie All Second Team member down.
Schroder is having a decent outing in his first year with the LA Lakers, as the guard is averaging 13.6 points and 3.6 rebounds for the season. The German scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting to help the LA Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
Guess the Lakers players!
