NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers series preview

The Los Angeles Lakers escaped the play-in tournament to secure a first round series with the reigning NBA champions. The Denver Nuggets defeated Los Angeles to get to the NBA Finals a year ago, and will look to dispatch of the Lakers once again en route to defending their title.

To get ready for the 2-7 matchup in the West, we’ll take a look at the Nuggets-Lakers series from several different angles. After that, we’ll take a stab at predicting which team will win the series, and in how many games. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Every basketball fan is familiar with the greatness that Nikola Jokic brings to the floor night in and night out. His basketball IQ has the attention of his contemporaries around the league, as GM’s voted him the best player in the NBA according to Sports Illustrated before the year began. However, The Score also commented on Aaron Gordon’s perfect fit playing alongside Jokic.

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While LeBron James’ skill set remains imperative if Los Angeles is to make a deep playoff run, Anthony Davis’ impact may go further in keeping the Lakers competitive against Denver. Sports Illustrated wrote that Davis is being considered for All-NBA first team this year, which is high praise. He won’t be able to afford an off-night against Jokic.

While it’s difficult to say that a frontcourt featuring James and Davis is inferior to another, the Nuggets’ group has proven that they are perfectly complementary of one another. Additionally, Michael Porter has the ability to win a game from the perimeter on his own. The Denver Gazette highlighted how well he’s played since the All-Star break.

Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will look to duplicate the success they had on the perimeter a year ago. Caldwell-Pope’s spacing ability and defensive prowess will be important in this series, especially if the Lakers eventually decide to shade coverage in Jokic’s direction. Murray has the ability to put up 40 on any given night.

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D’Angelo Russell’s perception has changed dramatically over the season. ESPN detailed his transition from a trade chip to a crucial asset for Los Angeles. Sports Illustrated pointed out that Russell has been much better in Lakers victories than defeats, so consistency will be key for him. 2023 NBA playoff revelation Austin Reaves will look to provide similar production this year.

Just like the frontcourt breakdown, the backcourt breakdown goes in the Nuggets’ favor, but it’s not a lopsided matchup. However, the combination of what Murray and Caldwell-Pope bring on both ends of the floor figures to have more staying power than Russell’s potential inconsistency in a playoff series.

Malone knows how fortunate he is to have Jokic. He told Sports Illustrated about Jokic, “That is what I marvel at, most importantly with Nikola as a player. Just the consistent greatness and how he finds ways…to bring that level of excellence.” Malone’s biggest challenge might be keeping Denver hungry for more, especially against a team they beat a year ago.

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Ham has been under fire with Lakers fans throughout the year, and the New York Post even reported a “deepening disconnect” between him and his players. Be that as it may, none of it matters here in the postseason, but Ham’s rotations will be under a close watch. He’ll need to come up with a new wrinkle to better contain Denver than he did in last year’s conference finals.

The Denver Post called Malone the greatest coach in Nuggets history, which is high praise considering some other bench leaders they’ve had. As previously stated, Malone may have his work cut out for him on the mental motivation side, but Denver should be well-prepared for Los Angeles tactically.

The playoffs will serve as the ultimate test as to whether Denver will miss the contributions of Bruce Brown. Christian Braun will look to build on his playoff performance of a year ago, and Peyton Watson steps into the spotlight as a key figure. Denver will also rely more on Reggie Jackson than they did a year ago.

After missing most of the regular season with a knee injury, Gabe Vincent has returned to the lineup. He had a stellar playoff performance in 2023 with the Miami Heat, and the Lakers are hoping he can provide some of that thump off the bench in 2024. The Lakers signed Spencer Dinwiddie midway through the season with that same idea in mind.

It’s going to be fun to see which bench unit provides more of a boost for their team. Los Angeles has veteran players that have had playoff moments in the past, but Watson, Braun and Jackson were all on Denver’s title winning team a year ago. The NBA’s website called Watson an “ascendant sophomore” in his second season.

How the Lakers will attempt to guard Jokic is going to be the predominant theme of the series. Los Angeles might elect to single-cover him at first, so that other Nuggets can’t get going out of passes from the post. However, it may be tempting to send double-teams at him sooner rather than later, which Jokic can also pick apart.

Denver swept Los Angeles in four competitive games a season ago. The Nuggets are the more connected, superior bunch in this matchup, and should advance to the second round. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if James had a magnificent series at age 39, considering that he might be fresher for the early part of the postseason.