There was a sense across the enviornment and within the media room Saturday evening that the Lakers had fired their finest punch and that, perhaps, it simply wasn’t ok.
However contemporary eyes on Recreation 1 mixed with a while gave coach Darvin Ham and the Lakers the flexibility to correctly contextualize what occurred of their 114-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets of their first-round Western Convention playoff collection.
“We bought nice appears that we simply didn’t knock down. Photographs that we’ve been pulling down. After which our tempo is off,” Ham mentioned in a name with reporters Sunday. “There’s no query, we simply watched with the crew, of us strolling up and down, strolling again towards the offensive finish and never getting out and in of our actions fast. We’re a totally completely different ball membership once we’re sprinting up the ground. Even after a made basket, we now have to have urgency offensively.
“That needs to be part of our protection as properly. How you can defend this crew is to place extra strain on them on offense. Attempt to put them on their heels too.”
The Lakers’ Recreation 1 offensive woes have been overshadowed, partly, by the 59 mixed factors of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, however the two additionally had 9 turnovers (seven by James).
And the Lakers shot eight for29 on three-pointers, scoring solely 103 factors. In the course of the common season, the Lakers have been held to 103 or fewer solely eight instances. D’Angelo Russell, particularly, was one-for-nine taking pictures from three-point vary after making 41.5% of his pictures from deep within the common season.
Denver coach Michael Malone even identified Sunday the standard of pictures the Lakers bought — and missed — in Recreation 1.
Ham mentioned he thought the Lakers’ half-court protection in Recreation 1 appeared higher on movie — the larger points coming in transition.
“They made some powerful pictures, however we didn’t do a nasty job defensively. We compelled them into some powerful pictures,” Ham mentioned. “They made a pair powerful pictures. However our greatest drawback was transition protection, getting again, getting matched up so we weren’t crossmatched.
“We didn’t do this in addition to we should always and clearly giving up second-chance factors and a few premature turnovers on our half.”
These issues within the playoffs, particularly in opposition to a crew that’s nearly as good as Denver, are essential.
“So it’s the intangible sport and that’s the sport you actually need to combat with good groups like Denver, championship groups like Denver. The little issues matter,” Ham mentioned. “The main points and the self-discipline. It’s extra in order that than anything, than the massive stuff or the submit protection or pick-and-roll protection. It’s the intangible issues.
“In order that’s what’s what actually got here to mild as we went again to the lodge after the sport and rewatched the movie.”
Relating to Nuggets middle Nikola Jokic, a two-time league MVP, Ham mentioned the Lakers have a virtually unimaginable process.
“It begins with making an attempt to restrict his touches, which is rattling close to unimaginable,” he mentioned. “However that’s what it takes if you happen to’re making an attempt to win.”
Wooden nearing a return?
A report from the Athletic’s Shams Charania mentioned reserve massive man Christian Wooden is “planning to return to motion” for Recreation 3 on Thursday in Los Angeles. Wooden, who has been out because the All-Star break due to a knee harm that required surgical procedure, isn’t with the crew in Denver.
“All I say is he’s nonetheless going by way of his restoration course of from accidents, rehab course of,” Ham mentioned. “…Clearly, he has measurement, he has size, he has rebounding capabilities, he can stretch the ground. However initially, he has a pair extra packing containers to test earlier than we even think about that.”
The crew remains to be with out ahead Jarred Vanderbilt, who’s recovering from a foot harm suffered on Feb. 1.
