The Nuggets invented a new way to agonize fans with a heartbreaking last-second loss to the hated LA Lakers on Saturday night. The loss required an intentionally missed, rebounded, and put-back free throw at the end of regulation from Austin Reaves, then a ridiculous stepback fadeaway game-winner from Luka Doncic in the final second of overtime.
Even with this loss, it became even more evident that the Lakers are the team that the Nuggets should be dreaming of facing in round one of the playoffs. The Thunder and Spurs have pulled away from the pack for the top two seeds, but the 3-6 spots are tight as can be with the Timberwolves and Rockets competing for seeding along with the Nuggets and Lakers.
All of those teams are good in their own right, and there won’t be any “easy” matchups for the Nuggets in round one, but among those three teams, they should clearly be hoping to see the Lakers.
Lakers matchup would be least physically taxing
It’s not so much about the talent level, as LA has an amazing trio of stars in Doncic, Reaves, and LeBron James, that would make any playoff series a scary proposition. It’s more about the style of play. The T-Wolves and Rockets are big, physical teams that impose their will on both ends of the floor.
The West playoffs are going to be a gauntlet, and in many ways a war of attrition. Teams with title aspirations can’t be dragged into the mud in round one, and that’s especially true for Denver. They are likely going to be forced to beat both the Spurs and Thunder in some order if they hope to reach the NBA Finals, and they’re going to need to stay as fresh and healthy as possible.
That mission would be helped greatly by a less taxing first-round series, and that’s what a matchup with the Lakers would mean. This LA team is not going to battle on the defensive end; their team is not full of guys who want to get into you physically at all. It’s a finesse team that wants to outscore you, and that’s something the Nuggets can handle.
It took some mini miracles for Denver to lose to LA
Sure, the Nuggets lost this game, but they also got down by 17 and walked that lead down in the second half. They did that even with Jamal Murray having one of the worst games of his career, shooting just 1-14 from the floor. They still scored 125 points and 118 in regulation.
The Lakers needed 30+ point efforts from Reaves and Doncic, while getting a bonus 21 from Marcus Smart and a strong all-around LeBron performance. That’s a lot to ask for on a consistent basis, and it was still barely enough.
No matchup should scare the Nuggets, per se, but regardless of the outcome of this fluky regular-season meeting, Denver should be licking their chops at the prospect of a rematch with the Lakers come playoff time.