Following a thrilling Game 2 victory on Thursday night, the Denver Nuggets are back in action tonight as they look to put a stranglehold on the Western Conference Finals. With a win, the Nuggets extend their series lead to 3-0 and inch even closer to making their first NBA Finals in franchise history. A victory won’t come easy though as the Lakers are sure to come out with a ton of energy with their season on the line.
After squandering what felt like a golden opportunity for the Lakers to steal a victory on Thursday night, the Nuggets and Jamal Murray had other plans as a 23 point fourth quarter from the Blue Arrow helped lead Denver to victory. The Nuggets will be looking to replicate how they finished Game 2 at the start of Game 3 to hopefully build some momentum on the road. Denver has struggled on the road at times during this postseason and have always struggled in Los Angeles, but these Nuggets certainly have a different feel to them than the teams of the past.
Look for the Lakers to dive back in to their bag of tricks and throw something at Denver they haven’t seen in the series yet. Last game, the Lakers sent way more double teams towards Nikola Jokic, but the Nuggets superstar big man just countered with his fourth straight triple-double in the playoffs. Jokic is averaging a triple-double in the playoffs and no matter what the Lakers throw at him it feels like there is no way they are going to slow him down.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers (Nuggets lead series 2-0)
When: 6:30 p.m. MST
Where: Crypto.com Arena
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy..unless it’s the romanticized 18th-century type. AltitudeTV were available. ABC. Show up in Los Angeles. 92.5 FM KKSE Altitude Sports Radio
Expected Starting Lineups:
LAL: PG D’Angelo Russell, SG Austin Reaves, SF Jarred Vanderbilt, PF LeBron James, C Anthony Davis
DEN: PG Jamal Murray, SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SF Michael Porter Jr., PF Aaron Gordon, C Nikola Jokic
Injuries: Anthony Davis (foot) PROBABLE, LeBron James (foot) PROBABLE, Mo Bamba (ankle) OUT
