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So, we get another postseason series featuring stellar bigs in two-time Kia MVP Nikola Jokic going head-to-head against Anthony Davis, as well as other stars such as LeBron James and Jamal Murray.
The matchup between these teams in last season’s Western Conference Finals was widely viewed as highly competitive.
1 more thing to watch for each team
For Lakers: D’Angelo Russell recently said: “Public humiliation has done nothing but mold me into the killer that you see today.” Game 1 of last year’s series certainly met the threshold for humiliation. Denver played Russell off the floor in Game 1. He shot 4-for-11 for eight points and played just 8:45 in the second half. The Lakers can’t afford another slow start from him.
For Nuggets: Denver is missing veteran glue guys in Jeff Green and Bruce Brown, who were key contributors to last season’s championship run. So, youngsters such as Christian Braun and Peyton Watson will be counted upon to step into those roles. The Nuggets expected as much and groomed them during the season for more responsibility. The postseason is a different animal though.This is the series for which 3-pointers will mean the least. The Nuggets were the only team that had a winning record (18-15) in games in which they were outscored from 3-point range this season. The Lakers, meanwhile, had the most wins (23-29) when being outscored from deep. Denver (35.2%) and L.A. (35.8%)
It marked one of the most efficient postseason series in league history, considering Murray shot 52.7% from the field, 40.5% from deep and 95% from the free-throw line. Murray’s 50-40-90 line registered as just the 11th in a playoff series for a player averaging 30 points or more. What’s more is Murray has now done that twice – remember the 2020 bubble?
