The Denver Nuggets put the Los Angeles Lakers on the brink of elimination

Dominated for the third time in as many games in this first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Denver Nuggets (112-105), the Los Angeles Lakers are now down 3 wins to 0, a situation that no team was able to overturn. NBA History .

However, Crypto.com Arena quickly felt that the Lakers had recovered from Monday’s frustrating defeat (101-99). LeBron James and his team are off to an 8-0 start and crazy energy. Interceptions, dunks, a determined Anthony Davis (10 points in twelve minutes) and two mistakes on Nikola Jokic in an explosive first period, ended 33-23 in favor of the evening hosts.

Denver held on thanks to the ferocious and ever-so-valuable Aaron Gordon (29 points, 15 rebounds), who held the defense, led the offense and caught the mistakes of the players in blue on both sides of the court.

But these Nuggets never give the impression of panic and even in an average first half (2/15 on three-pointers), Jamal Murray’s teammates, lackluster at the start of the game, blew the Lakers’ necks. middle. -time (53-49).

Michael Cooper inducted

Disappointing for the “Purple and Gold” considering the efforts made, but after ten consecutive defeats against the reigning champion, they know better than anyone how Denver knows how to stick to the coat of the opponents. The trend was confirmed at the resumption, a few minutes after the five-star tribute was given to Michael “Secretary of Defense” Cooper, five-time NBA champion, soon to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and accompanied on the floor by his companions from The Showtime era (5 titles and 9 Finals between 1979 and 1991), Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and the others.

With Los Angeles stubbornly shooting from long range (three missed shots in a row from D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and then Rui Hachimura), it was Michael Porter Jr, the only player on the floor determined to take more than one shot behind arc (20 points, 10 rebounds) that put their team ahead (58-55) for the first time in the game after 26 minutes of play. mid-range (22 points, 9 assists).

Davis (33 points, 15 rebounds), not really harassed by Jokic on defense because of his three fouls, accelerated again at the end of the quarter to limit the damage (83-75). But with D’Angelo Russell, useless (0 points, 0/6 from distance) and LeBron James, almost ordinary by his standards (26 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) while Denver had four players from its top five of 20 points or more (Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, 9 assists), the hope of a comeback did not last. At 101-89 with 3’06 to go, the room began to empty. It will fill up again on Saturday, but the Lakers will play there more for glory than anything else.