NBA 2018-19: 3 Key takeaways from the Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets matchup

The Denver Nuggets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers on the Tuesday night NBA action. The Nuggets came out with a blowout win 117-85 against the Lakers in a match that they dominated from start to finish.

The Nuggets beat the Lakers in every quarter of the match which indicates that they had the control of the match throughout. The Nuggets were superbly consistent and the Lakers were erratic which resulted in a no contest.

After the match, the Lakers have dropped to an 11-9 record having lost their last two games. The Denver Nuggets are on a four game winning streak of their own and are now sitting with a 14-7 record in the loaded Western Conference.

Lakers had an injury concern over Lonzo Ball in between the game. Ball suffered an ankle sprain late in the second quarter and is now doubtful for the home game against the Indiana Pacers. Here are the top three takeaways from the match.

#3 Lakers defensive struggles

Denver Nuggets had their way against the Lakers

Lakers defensive struggles are pretty known at this point of the season. Though they have improved massively on defense since the arrival of Tyson Chandler, they are nowhere close to be an elite defensive team.

The Lakers defense was thoroughly exposed by the Nuggets who ended up shooting 48.5% from the field. There were far too many easy buckets in the paint for the Denver Nuggets. Paul Millsap dominated the Lakers from inside, finishing with 20 points on 9-14 shooting from the field. Jamal Murray had his way in all the pick and roll battles. He also finished with 20 points.

The Lakers need to collectively step up on team defense if they want to mount a serious challenge in the West. They have individuals with huge defensive potential but they need to show more effort on the defensive end.

#2 Lakers shooting struggles

Before the match, the Lakers were a top 10 3PT shooting team and it looked like they had addressed their shooting concerns. But they were totally exposed against the Nuggets shooting just 5-32 from the 3PT line.

LeBron James had a very off game according to his standards. He never looked settled in the match and finished with just 14 points and 2 assists, way below his season averages. He shot 0-4 from the 3PT line.

The entire Lakers starters went for just 2-16 from beyond the arc which further testifies their struggle in the match. Josh Hart has also been struggling in recent matches after being the best three-point shooter for the team in the early parts of the season.

The Lakers need to improve on their outside shooting. LeBron James will get back his touch in the next match but the others seriously need to step up and provide support to James.

#1 Nuggets advantage on rebounding

Denver Nuggets had a huge advantage on rebounding

The Los Angeles Lakers are a good rebounding team. But in this match, the Nuggets absolutely had their numbers. The Denver Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers 60-39.

The Nuggets posted this season-high number for any of Laker's oppositions. The Nuggets also had a huge advantage on the offensive board. They had 16 offensive rebounds which led to some easy second-chance points for them.

Paul Millsap led the Nuggets with 11 rebounds, Plumlee had 10 rebounds and they absolutely dominated the Lakers from inside. Trey Lyles finished with 9 rebounds and Jokic also had 7 rebounds which indicate that the Nuggets rebounded great as a team.

This is the biggest defeat of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Denver Nuggets beat them in all departments. They were a far better team on this night. The Denver Nuggets next play at the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.