When the Lakers and the Nuggets face each other for a few months, it often feels like we're watching the same game. A scenario repeats itself regularly: the battle is balanced, then, one moment or another, the Denver machine takes over and Los Angeles no longer has the answers. This was the case on Saturday evening, during the success of Nikola Jokic and his gang in California.
Over the setbacks, don't LeBron James and the Californians have a complex? Wouldn't the 2023 champions have a psychological advantage over them?
“I have a clear idea of what happened in the third quarter, but no matter what it looks like, it’s not because we’re haunted by ghosts from the past.” dismisses JJ Redick. “It’s quite clear to me: we didn’t have the right state of mind. »
Only one victory in almost two years…
The figures still prove that the Nuggets have more than a handle on the Lakers. In October and December 2022, Los Angeles won two games against the Nuggets.
Afterwards ? It's a disaster. Since the start of the 2023 calendar year, almost two years now, the Nuggets have won 13 of the 14 duels between the two teams: 5-0 in the regular season then 8-1 in the playoffs.
Consequently, the Lakers lost 13 out of 14 matches against this team! Denver, a pet peeve? That's the least we can say…
“It was just bad overall,” reacts Anthony Davis, on his team's errors (15 lost balls), who had his worst match of the season with only 14 points. “I missed some shots, even though I had good positions. The league is like that: you score or you miss. I'm going to put in more than I miss and we always hope to put everything in. I have confidence in my shots. These are shots that I normally use. We missed shots that we normally score. I liked our shoots, they didn't go in, that's all. »
