Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers Locked On Podcast Network

For most of Monday's Game 2 in Denver, the Lakers were in position to send the series back to Los Angeles tied at 1 game each. At points, it looked like they were guaranteed to do it, pushing their lead up to 20 in the second half.

But little by little, Denver chipped away. LA's offense went into a near full hibernation in the second half (38 points) and while they did manage to get a few big buckets down the stretch — a pair of triples from LeBron, a drive and finish from D'Angelo Russell, a baseline jumper from Austin Reaves — it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the loooooooooong stretches of totally stagnant, ineffective offense. Tied on the last possession, the Nuggets put the ball in Jamal Murray's hands and let him do what Murray does. Stepback jumper over Davis. Game. 101-99, Denver up 2-0, Lakers on life support.

The Lakers got a superhuman effort from Anthony Davis in the first half, especially. Russell bounced back from a horrible Game 1 to hit seven triples. LeBron was huge in the fourth quarter on both sides of the ball, despite fighting fatigue.

But there were enough mistakes and poor performances; Rui Hachimura again was a non-factor, Spencer Dinwiddie and Gabe Vincent combined for zero points in 25 minutes. Darvin Ham missed a chance to challenge what appeared to be a ticky-tack foul on LeBron against Murray down the stretch. Reaves had a critical turnover down the stretch.

This was, in every practical sense, a must-win game. LeBron certainly played like he knew it. Any loss in this game would have been hard to recover from, emotionally. This one, however, was brutal.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



SEGMENT 1: The Lakers blow a huge lead in the second half, and the season is on life support.

SEGMENT 2: Too many little mistakes, too many performances that weren't up to standard.

SEGMENT 3: The Lakers might get some reinforcements, but are they coming too late?



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Saturday's Game 1 in Denver was undoubtedly disappointing, and once again put in stark relief the challenge facing the Lakers against the team most experts expect to represent the West in the NBA Finals this year.

It also makes tonight's Game 2 a must-win, because the odds of this Lakers team showing enough high-end consistency to beat the Nuggets four times in five tries feels... unrealistic. So it's about breaking through tonight, and proving to themselves as much as everyone else that it's possible for the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the Denver Nuggets. So what has to get better? For starters, the offense has to function much more efficiently throughout the game. No minutes-long stretches where the shot selection is bad or turnovers throw the offense off kilter, or playcalling and structure go the way of the dodo. Because the Lakers lost that game offensively, not on D.

Next, the best players on the team simply have to be better. Save Anthony Davis, more or less, everyone else has stuff that needs to improve. Obviously D'Angelo Russell's efficiency has to go way up. But Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura have to be better. LeBron James needs to be a bigger presence in the fourth quarter. Bench players need to shoot.

The Lakers have played Denver tight for long stretches over this losing streak. But time has run out on finding a way to win. It's gotta happen tonight.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is not a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Lakers fans are ticked, and ought to be. But it's reflective of the ways in which the bar moves for Davis. At this point, it's fair to say that whatever he does for whatever he might be given credit for, it's not going to be enough.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What the Lakers need to fix in Game 2.



SEGMENT 2: Darvin steps in it, again. Plus, pick it up, Russell!!!

SEGMENT 3: Why wasn't Anthony Davis a finalist for DPOY?

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The Lakers, as LeBron James noted before the series against Denver kicked off Saturday with Game 1, will need to play near-flawless basketball to move past the Nuggets into the second round.

Fair to say on Saturday they didn't clear the bar in their 114-103 loss.

It wasn't all terrible. The Lakers actually led by double digits in the second quarter before Denver came roaring back. Still, LA led by three at the half. But in the second half, the Lakers fell apart offensively. Completely and totally. 43 points just isn't going to get it done. And overall, the offensive effort had too many massive holes. Start with a 6-20, 1-9 night from D'Angelo Russell. But Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were total non-factors. The Lakers had one bench player (Taurean Prince) score. Even worse, the Lakers only had one bench player shoot.

LeBron, while productive overall, was a non-factor in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over seven times. The Lakers were under 28% from 3.

Anthony Davis answered the bell with 32/14/5, plus four blocks, and Prince off the bench was a nice boost. Not everything was bad for the Lakers, but Denver is elite, and won't do you any favors to help win games. You have to beat them.

If the Lakers are going to have a chance, they have to win Game 2 on Monday. It's hard to see them, or anyone, beating Denver four times in five tries.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



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The overwhelming consensus has the defending champion Denver Nuggets winning their first-round series against the Lakers, and relatively easily. And it makes sense why, given all their credentials and that Nikola Jokic/Jamal Murray pairing. But the Lakers have played extremely well over the last few months, and the starting lineup of LeBron James/Anthony Davis/Rui Hachimura/Austin Reaves/D'Angelo Russell has often been deadly piling up points. Hachimura and Russell are having career years. James looks healthy. The team can actually make outside shots. Gabe Vincent is perhaps primed for a key role as a defensive specialist. There's actually a playable backup big in Jaxson Hayes.

If nothing else, it feels like the Lakers are in a better place to beat the odds than last season, when the Nuggets swept them in the Western Conference Finals.

Our guest, basketball analyst and former college baller Jason Timpf (Hoops Habit, @_JasonLT), agrees. The road will be tough, but the Lakers shouldn't be pushovers in this series... assuming they play their cards right. What are the best strategies for doing so? Timpf breaks down exactly what needs to go right, and more importantly, can't go wrong, if the Lakers want to pull off a massive upset.


HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, with guest Jason Timpf.

SEGMENT 1: The state of the Lakers.

SEGMENT 2: More of what the Lakers must do against Denver.

SEGMENT 3: What are the Nuggets' weaknesses?

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Everyone has the Nuggets beating the Lakers. Everyone.

And why not?

Denver are the defending NBA champions. They're elite. And they've won seven straight games over the Lakers. The same Los Angeles Lakers that were a bit of a basket case all year long, never caught any consistency, and built no faith with anyone. So it's a foregone conclusion, right?

Maybe not! Because there are real reasons to believe that the Lakers have a chance to surprise some people. Not made up stuff that doesn't mean anything, or not super unrealistic stuff that can't possibly happen. The Lakers have a real opportunity to do a lot better than many are expecting. There are legitimate reasons to feel optimistic about LA's chances to make things happen in this series. First, the whole "seven straight wins" thing between the Nuggets and Lakers isn't meaningless, but it's also misleading. All of the games have been competitive, and five of the seven have been inside five points with four or so minutes to play. Some even closer than that.

So if the Lakers can figure out how to solve those last few minutes, they're in it.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are healthier than they were (in non-Jarred Vanderbilt ways) last season. They get more days off in between games. Basically, they're more likely to win playing Denver now than they do in five weeks, in a hypothetical conference final.

It's ok to be optimistic, Lakers fans!

This, of course, is dependent on Anthony Davis picking things up a little to match the production of Nikola Jokic. It's not that AD has been bad, it's just that he hasn't been quite as good as his averages, this season.

So while nobody is picking the Lakers, they shouldn't be writing them off, either.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Reasons for Lakers fans to be optimistic about their chances against the Nuggets.

SEGMENT 2: MORE reasons to be optimistic about their chances.

SEGMENT 3: This, of course, if Anthony Davis can close the gap a little between him and Jokic.



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This win didn't quite look like the others, but in the end the Lakers got what they came for, and once again defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, winning Tuesday in the 7/8 Play-In Game. It's the fourth time in five this season LA has topped the Pelicans, and the second time in three days - both on the road - and this one is undoubtedly the most significant. It pushes the Lakers into the first round of the main draw, where they'll kick off a series against the Nuggets beginning Saturday in Denver.

It's been a very long time since the Lakers beat Denver, and there will be plenty to say about that series between now and Saturday, but for today it's worth noting how the Lakers got it done on Tuesday, and how that might influence things going forward.

Because while Anthony Davis and LeBron James played hard (Davis through back spasms) and gave it what they had, neither was efficient offensively (12-36 combined from the floor). The Lakers as a team didn't crack 42% from the floor. But they didn't turn the ball over (eight total TOs), they were solid from 3-point range (over 40%), and they made their FTs (26-29, including 9-9 in the fourth quarter).

And most importantly, other guys stepped up, whether D'Angelo Russell with big early production combined with a critical steal and a clutch corner triple, or Gabe Vincent playing high end defense and scoring nine points (which doesn't soundn like much until you remember he had seven over his last six games combined.)

The Lakers had to grind this one out. They had to play defense. They had to hit their free throws down the stretch. They had to win without the best performances from their stars. It was, in short, a fantastic dress rehearsal for what's coming.

But for now, rest.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



SEGMENT 1: The Lakers beat New Orleans, advance to face Denver.

SEGMENT 2: The supporting cast picked up the stars in a big team win.

SEGMENT 3: Gabe Vincent steps up, D'Angelo Russell has a challenge in front of him.



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FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com