Did the Lakers learn something they can repeat? https://t.co/TfxsVI34hA
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 28, 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers finally beat the Denver Nuggets in a playoff game.
Through the lens of history, this may ultimately be viewed as a moral victory that only postponed the inevitable, but in the NBA playoffs a win is a win. The Lakers will gladly take it.
The question is, was this win a one-off, or is it something the Lakers can repeat?
What the Lakers did earn a victory was not some tactical innovation that changed the series, they just executed their game plan better and for a full 48 minutes.
While the Lakers did add a few tactical wrinkles — such as stealing a little something from Denver with LeBron cutting to the rim out of the corner/dunker’s spot when the Nuggets doubled in the paint, leading to easy dunks — the win was more a consistent effort. There was no third or fourth quarter lapse, those 5-12 minute stretches where the Lakers seem to zone out and Denver takes command.
“In the past, they’ve really taken advantage of their little 7-0, 8-0 runs and those turn into 12-2 or whatever,” Austin Reaves said. “Tonight, we, kept them from kind of getting that and more.”
A consistent effort is undoubtedly something the Lakers can do again. Will they?
The other thing the Lakers got was more help from their role players. For much of this series, LeBron and Anthony Davis played fantastically but, at best, one other player would step up. Saturday night, both Reaves and D’Angelo Russell stepped up with 21 points and “kept the scoreboard moving,” borrowing a Darvin Ham phrase. That left LeBron with less of a load to carry during the first 36 minutes, so in the final 12 he could take over, score 14 and make plays like this.
The Lakers’ lack of consistency is one reason they were the No. 7 seed this season and had to come out of the play-in.
The Lakers understand what they need to do Monday in Denver, where that team’s role players will likely step up with better games.
“The only opportunity for us is to win the next game and we’ve given ourselves some life, give, ourselves a little lifeline,” LeBron said. “It’s a one game series for us. So Monday’s game is the most important every season for us.”
The Lakers understand what they have to do to have a chance. Can they execute it?