Maybe the Lakers show some pride and fight to live for another game against the Nuggets but at this point, everyone knows this series is over.
The Lakers will likely play their final home game of the season on Saturday in Game 4 against the Nuggets. Los Angeles will be fighting for their season one last time as they’re on the brink of getting swept for the second year in a row.
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Apr 27
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ABC
Just when we thought the Lakers would be more comfortable at home and get that boost they needed to finally defeat the Nuggets, they let go of the rope in Game 3. Thursday’s loss was a different version of a heartbreak because it was the first time in this series where it felt like the Lakers just flat out gave up. Once again, the defending champions proved they were inevitable.
Maybe the Lakers show a fight to live for another game, but at this point, everyone knows this series is over. Saturday’s game will likely just be a formality, a painful and embarrassing one at that. It’s also the start of an offseason that entails more questions than answers for the purple and gold moving forward.
For as much as I want to stay in the present and list down here how the Lakers can bounce back — like I have been doing in my last three previews — it seems moot at this point because they’ve yet to find a solution for most of their problems in this matchup.
The Lakers’ role players continue to underperform, their offense and defense just can’t keep up with Denver’s, losing the rebounding and second-chance opportunities battle continues to hurt them, their second half performances leave much to be desired and, oh, I think Aaron Gordon just made another baseline cut to score while I typed this.
Even if I can argue that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been two of the three best players in this series, it’s clear by now that Denver is just better from top to bottom. They play with a system run by players who star in their roles that the Lakers are not equipped to stop. Even if the first two games were winnable for L.A., there’s no denying that there’s a huge talent gap between both teams.
The only question left for the Lakers this series is whether or not they want to prolong their agony. Do they want to save face by extending the series only to go back to Denver and end their season there where they will most likely hear “Who’s your daddy?” chants from the Nuggets crowd? That would be fitting because that’s exactly how their season started.
Or do the Lakers approach Saturday’s game like they’ve already booked their flights to Cancun? No matter what they do — even if LeBron James himself said that they will play until the wheels fall off — this is already a lost cause. One that perfectly summarizes a frustrating and wasted season.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani
