The Denver Nuggets look to avenge its loss from Dec. 3 at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. Nugg Love breaks down three potential factors.
Last time the Denver Nuggets played the Los Angeles Lakers, Nikola Jokic played a significant role, despite the losing effort. In light of a disappointing performance, Will Barton took it upon himself to project what the team needed to hear.
"“Listen man, we gotta play through him. Every year that’s going to work best for us. We’re a good team when he’s not scoring, but we’re a great team when he’s being dominant down there. We have championship potential when he’s cooking. We know that. We can get away with it some games, beat teams, but to be the team we want to be, we gotta play through him.”"
Perhaps the kind and truthful words were precisely what Nikola Jokic required for necessary improvement in his scoring production and overall efficiency. Not only did Jokic answer the urgent call from Barton, but the Denver Nuggets also responded by winning six of its last nine games.
Thankfully, the Knicks provided the Nuggets with a more leisurely road in the nine-game stretch. Nonetheless, Denver’s winning ways come full circle against a real championship contender. Fortunately for the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers’ best player is rumored to miss Sunday’s contest.
LeBron James has a thoracic muscle strain and is doubtful to play tomorrow against Denver. We’ll see if Frank Vogel has some details about when it happened, etc., in a moment.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 21, 2019
After missing a career-high 27 games last season due to groin injury, LeBron James is slated to miss his first contest of the 2019-2020 campaign. The game must go on, and the Nuggets chances increase in light of the unfortunate news. Nugg Love has three keys to a Denver victory.