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They have us right where they want us. Nuggets are in the driver’s seat now. So on and so forth. Joking aside, last night’s game featured a few changes Laker fans had been clamoring for, the activation of Kyle Kuzma and a thrilling finish that was framed as a debate about fouls. Let’s dig in.

1. The foul disparity issue. It’s been a contentious point since game 1 when, in the 2nd quarter, we wen to the line 24 times. Then the Nuggets got a couple games where they were allowed to wail on LeBron seeing him shoot 10 free throws over 3 games. The Lakers informed the NBA of their displeasure at this anomaly and last night saw James shoot 14 freebies, making 11. This is the one part of the playoffs I never miss: coaches griping about free throws. I get it, coaches have to bring it up (especially when the media brings it up) but it’s one of those things I feel like kind of ruins the fun. It was a well-fought contest, Murray probably ought to have shot 2-4 more free throws.
2. Starting Dwight Howard. This probably ought to have happened after game 2, maybe even after he started the second half of game 1. Regardless the All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, future Hall of Fame’r made his presence felt instantly. Now I am a fan of JaVale McGee, maybe not his current hair-do, but there’s no question that Dwight has more talent, speed and athleticism. Starting him against Jokic was the right move, just sort of surprised it took Frank this long to commit to it. One assumes the line up will stay this way for the duration of the series but I do wonder what looms ahead should we advance. At any rate, kudos to JaVale for being the consummate teammate and pro.
3. Laker bench was competitive, again. While they were out-scored 35-26, out-rebounded 13-11 they caused more turnovers (4 steals to 1) and Rondo had an upswing game. Rondo is making some great reads these days and his shot is falling enough to keep the defense honest. That’s a huge factor in the win last night. Both Rondo and Caruso committed some highway robbery on Jokic when he caught the ball and brought it too low a couple of times. Caruso had a fantastic steal where he literally ripped the ball from Nikola’s hands.
4. Laker defense mixing up it’s looks. This is the key to the series. Denver has so many ways they can score. Off of passes from Jokic or Murray, iso plays for Nikola or Murray, the pick and roll, LeBron James rose to the challenge of defending Murray in the closing minutes of the game and he did an admirable job. The Lakers need to keep the two Denver stars guessing what the coverage is, where the help will come from and then change that up from game to game. Our defense has to be on point for the close out, this Denver team is too dangerous to give them any more games. They’re going to come out desperate and loose on Saturday and we need to bring our A defense, hold down that advantage on the glass and keep forcing turnovers.
5. Denver’s counter. I think we’ll see them force Howard out to the three point line in the next game. Jokic played fairly passively, reminded me of LeBron’s game 2. That won’t happen in game 5. I don’t know how Denver will try to get him engaged but I’d force Howard out from the paint. I also would expect to see a small parade of Nuggets trotting to the free throw line in game 5, as well. Game 5 close out is going to be tough, we’re going to need a couple guys to stay aggressive and make even more shots. It would help if our bench showed up large. But we can end this series this weekend if we show up with great effort and focus, need to bring that A game because Denver has proven one thing: being down 3-1 doesn’t affect their confidence or desire so we need to match that and apply pressure for 48 hard minutes of basketball.

All in all, I kind of expect us to lose the next game. I think Denver is going to go hard at Dwight, maybe force him onto Murray, get him in foul trouble and force us to either play McGee or go small, both of which are favorable match-ups for Nikola Jokic. AD and LBJ need to play effectively and efficiently, the team needs to keep on crashing the glass and we need to have a solid game from the 2 stripes: free throws and three pointers. We do all that and I like our chances.