Miked Up: Denver Nuggets fall in Los Angeles/standings
By Mike Wilson
I pre-wrote this blog in the fourth quarter convinced we would get the win tonight, so I could sneakily go to bed, with no one the wiser.
I don’t know how the guys who stay up to watch the game a second time to “watch the tape” do it. Especially on these 830pm MTN tip offs.
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With all the hype going into the game of Jamal Murray vs Lonzo Ball’s suburb beef, Laker Twitter and talk radio was aflame with the name of the Blue Arrows on their lips leading into this game at the Staple Center in Los Angeles.
Luke Walton, onetime teammate of Kobe and Ron Artest, felt considerably slighted by Jamal’s alpha holding of the court the past few times the Lakers have faced the Denver Nuggets. Following the end of Friday’s game, Walton screamed at Murray like he was the valet at Sugarfish in Venice that nicked his hybrid Jaguar.
(Truth be told – I don’t know if they made hybrid Jaguar’s but I was trying to make a LA joke at Walton’s expense.)
Jamal, surprisingly for a 21 year old who is two years out of college, embraced the hate, the scene, and the stage….and somehow someway, made himself famous in LA by trolling the Lakers.
Murray knows what he is doing. He knows this is how he escalates his brand past small market Denver. With the young rosters being developed in the Nugget’s division including the Lakers, he is making a reputation for himself that is permeating beyond what people in Denver are aware of.
Will be the league’s quick mouthed hot shot for years to come. Personality on the court like your read about. (You will never hear about him off the court.)
I am too depressed to go back through everything that happened tonight by want to say Wilson Chandler was the best Wilson Chandler tonight. If we get to the playoffs somehow at this rate. IF. Having that Wilson Chandler playing on this team gets us out of the first round.
Very chippy end to the game with Jokic getting in a confrontation with Randle and Staple Center bellowing the “Murray sucks” (nice one btw). Will be fun to be playing against these guys. As seen tonight, they have gotten much better in the second half of the year, even with two of their better players hurt.
We all knew we were going to drop at least one of the “gimmie” games we had this week. We get to get back to Altitude and Pepsi Center Thursday against the Pistons. I am pretty sure we are in win out territory at this point. Everyone else in the 2-10 West Playoff spot won.
I am just happy to get in at this point. Anyone but the Rockets.
Twitter: @mwilsonco