The Lakers lost Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets. But they now know what they need to do to win Game 2.
The Los Angeles Lakers were on a roller coaster in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. The best defensive team in basketball was down 72-54 at halftime. After three quarters the Lakers had given up 106 points. After being down 20 points in the third quarter the Lakers climbed their way back but ultimately lost the game, 132-126.
In the playoffs, the Lakers had the best defensive rating going into Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Giving up 106 points in three quarters was highly uncharacteristic of the Lakers' defense. At least in the fourth quarter, the defense stepped up allowing just 26 points.
The Lakers got killed in many different aspects of this game but LeBron James still had a chance at a game-tying 3 with just under a minute left in the game. They eventually figured out how to get back in the game and to win this series, Darvin Ham is going to have to make these adjustments right from the opening tip of Game 2.
Here's what the Lakers need to better in Game 2:
3. Fix their transition defense
All year long, the one thing that has plagued the Lakers was their horrendous transition defense. In the playoffs, the Lakers have by far the worst transition defense of the four teams left, giving up 23 points per game in transition. The Nuggets took full advantage of that in the first half, outscoring the Lakers 17-6 in fastbreak points. For the whole game, the Nuggets outscored them in transition 19-6.
Darvin Ham and the Lakers did make second-half adjustments and they outscored the Nuggets in transition 7-2, with the only two points they allowed on an Aaron Gordon dunk late in the fourth quarter. If the Lakers can emphasize getting back on defense and make the game a halfcourt contest, they significantly increase their chances of winning Game 2.
2. Fighting over screens
Throughout the game, the Lakers were outscored from beyond the arc 45-33 and allowed the Nuggets to shoot 47 percent on 3-pointers. In the third quarter, Dennis Schroder went under a screen where Jamal Murray drilled a 3-pointer without any defensive pressure. This was a pattern that was shown largely through the first three-quarters of the game.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Darvin Ham had his team start switching on screens or had his players fight over the top. This caused Denver to have their worst shooting quarter of the night and allowed the Lakers to get back into this ball game.
If the Lakers make this adjustment it will cause the Nuggets to attack Anthony Davis in the paint. The Lakers would see a big improvement in their paint defense and 3-point defense.
1. Start Rui Hachimura
The Lakers starting lineup was 6-foot-1 Dennis Schroder, 6-foot-4 D'Angelo Russell, 6-foot-5 Austin Reaves, 6-foot-9 LeBron James, and 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis. The Nuggets starting lineup was 6-foot-4 Jamal Murray, 6-foot-5 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, 6-foot-10 Michael Porter Jr., 6-foot-8 Aaron Gordon, and 7-foot Nikola Jokic.
The Lakers lineup was simply too small and it showed as MPJ would rise over Austin Reaves for easy jumpers. It also showed on the boards as the Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers 36-13 in the first half and 47-30 in the game.
The Lakers pushed another button in the fourth quarter again, closing the game with Rui Hachimura. Hachimura was the primary defender on Jokic, holding him to 0-for-2 from the field and just two rebounds. The Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 10-8 in the fourth quarter and outscored them 34-26.
Inserting Hachimura would do wonders for the Lakers defensively. He adds length to the starting lineup to help out with rebounding and guarding one of the Nuggets' frontcourt players, and, most importantly, he allows Anthony Davis to roam free off the ball and impact Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets as a help defender.
Hachimura would also do wonders for the Lakers offensively as the Nuggets could not stop him, LeBron, or AD from getting what they want. Hachimura would also add floor spacing as Rui is shooting 54.8 percent from 3 in these playoffs.
The Lakers should be highly encouraged by what they saw from this Game 1 comeback, clawing and fighting back with every gut-wrenching punch the Nuggets threw at them. If the Lakers make these three adjustments it could lead to a Game 2 victory and the series tied 1-1 going back to L.A.
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