PLAYOFF-2020 (Game#2, WCF): [3]Denver Nuggets vs [1]LA Lakers (0-1), SUN 19:30ET

[THE J0KER]

Lakers lose game#1 against Portland and Houston, but after that, both times won routinely next four with at least 9+ difference.

This time Lakers are granted with game#1 win thanks to Denver fatigue from the previous series vs Clippers, but now Nuggets will be ready to fight back. We will see is that will be enough, because the answer depending on the Lakers team too.

We need a monster game from Jokic and Murray, but I guess LBJ and AD will send a similar answer. That is why we need some great 3rd offensive option (who if not Porter?), but also an elite team's defense. MPJ needs 30+ minutes not only because offense, Lakers way bigger size than the Clippers calls it too. Unfortunately, now is too late to make some eventual experiments with Bol Bol, this would be a good matchup for a player with his profile.

In terms of overall quality, the Lakers are very similar to the Clippers, but the Lakers are probably the worst matchup for Jokic-Murray Nuggets with a great trap for elite guard shooters (Lillard, Harden, and Westbrook are well guarded) and tough time for elite centers to deal with the Davis-Howard-McGee triangle.

[trueballer7]

Lakers have too much size and experience. If you're gonna take them out, you need to hit your shots and take the fight to them, tire them out with accurate fast passing and confident execution. Come on Nuggets you've got youth and energy on your side, give'em hell.

[skywalker33]

Lakers have too much size and experience. If you're gonna take them out, you need to hit your shots and take the fight to them, tire them out with accurate fast passing and confident execution. Come on Nuggets you've got youth and energy on your side, give'em hell.

Fakers also have too much NBA/Silver-driven referees. Media starting to take hold EVERYWHERE !!

[U hova]

Might wanna replace that pic of Murray and Jokic with Monte and Plumlee since they won't be allowed minutes

[lautreamont]

Lakers have too much size and experience. If you're gonna take them out, you need to hit your shots and take the fight to them, tire them out with accurate fast passing and confident execution. Come on Nuggets you've got youth and energy on your side, give'em hell.

Fakers also have too much NBA/Silver-driven referees. Media starting to take hold EVERYWHERE !!

The NBA would have preferred Clippers/Lakers for ratings but that didn't happen because the teams on the court decide the games not Silver and the refs. If they were controlling the outcome the Clippers would have won the last series.

[NuggetsWY]

The Nuggets simply need two things to win.
1. They need an aggressive and very active defense with plenty of communication.
2. They need to throw out the playbook and get the ball to Jokic at the top of the key and then move. Everyone marvels at Jokic's passing ability yet he only had two assists in the last game. During the regular season he averaged 7 apg and during the playoffs he's below 6 apg.

[THE J0KER]

1st quarter is a wasted opportunity. In the opening 7 minutes apart of LBJ Lakers are 0-12 but we didn't capitalize it, and when LBJ goes to the bench Lakers make a fast 15-3 run...

[THE J0KER]

Denver is the best team in the league to face a double-digit lead, but the Lakers are just the wrong opponent to have +10 on halftime.

The big problem in this series will be the use of Gary Harris. Lakers don't have players like Mitchell, Conley, Lou Williams, or Paul George where his great defensive skills will be used with full benefits. Worst of all, I have no idea how to figure with that now when Beasley left the team and Barton is out (and I'm not sure are we need unrecovered Barton at all).

The other problem is the use of MPJ. Denver playing this playoff much better 2nd halves than the first, and Porter is the only Nuggets player which have a significantly better TS% in 1st half than 2nd (less pressure on rookie I guess). But Malone for some reason ignores it, and his minutes are even more reduced in the 1st half than 2nd.

If we want to win this game we need better rebounding (14-22 in 1st half). Also, the Lakers overperformed in 3pt% (7/16) and FT% (100%!)... two rare categories which are Laker's weak spots.

[THE J0KER]

So proud of these guys, they find the way to fight-back even against the great Lakers team. It was -16 in the middle of 3rd but at the end just -4. Lakers are League NBA worst FT% team, but before the final quarter, they are somehow 16-16!?

[Mickey8]

Way to bring Plumlee in when you shouldn't , team was playing great defense ,screw you Malone you knucklehead Plus they had foul to give

[THE J0KER]

What a heartbreaking tragedy. Lakers made 3 shot-clock threes in the last 6 minutes, including for a win...

I asked some change about Harris, and if Dozier didn't shoot 1-5 from FT it would be that solution. MPJ gets 5th foul early in the 4th, but that should not be the reason to bench him. In both games vs the Lakers so far he is the only ones apart of Jokic and Murray scoring in double-digits (14 & 15), so it doesn't sense to limit his playing time on just 19 minutes.

But I don't want to complain too much. What these guys did in 2nd half are really heroic. So sad...

This game will be remembered forever for that AD boozer-winner, but actually it was Joker who showed once again who is NBA #1 clutch player, scoring the last 11 Nuggets points in the final 3 minutes.

[U hova]

This game showed me that we can win this series but this was one of the games we win if we were to.

[manchambo]

What a heartbreaking tragedy. Lakers made 3 shot-clock threes in the last 6 minutes, including for a win...

I asked some change about Harris, and if Dozier didn't shoot 1-5 from FT it would be that solution. MPJ gets 5th foul early in the 4th, but that should not be the reason to bench him. In both games vs the Lakers so far he is the only ones apart of Jokic and Murray scoring in double-digits (14 & 15), so it doesn't sense to limit his playing time on just 19 minutes.

But I don't want to complain too much. What these guys did in 2nd half are really heroic. So sad...

This game will be remembered forever for that AD boozer-winner, but actually it Joker who showed once again who is NBA #1 clutch player, scoring the last 11 Nuggets points in the final 3 minutes.

What really hurts me is that until ad hit that shot, the story of that game is that Jokic is a superstar, and perhaps the best clutch player in the game, and that all goes away because of a miracle shot.

[skywalker33]

Way to bring Plumlee in when you shouldn't , team was playing great defense ,screw you Malone you knucklehead Plus they had foul to give

Do you do ANYTHING that doesn't involve you BITCHIN' ? Hard to swallow a last shot loss but to see them come back shows me (if the refs aren't taking sides ) we can play with and even beat these guys. Slow start by Jokic might have allowed too much leeway and Millsap and Harris didn't help much either.

[The Rebel]

This game showed me that we can win this series but this was one of the games we win if we were to.

I still think we win this series. If you remember we lost a couple of games against the Clippers in the last minutes, this was on a buzzer beater, but that is the only difference.

Tonight I think Jokic finally figured out how to work Howard. That is a big deal.

If we are going to bring in a big for defense on a last second shot, why would you not bring in Bol? We know that Plumlee **** it up 3 out of 4 times, at least Bol with his long arms has a chance to affect a shot.

Dozier is needed in this series, his energy and help defense affected the Lakers, too bad he missed those fts. I have heard that Malone is good at keeping guys from getting too down on themselves, hopefully this has no affect on Dozier going forward.

Call me crazy but I feel better about this series after game 2 than I did the Clippers series after game 2.

[manchambo]

I think it’s kind of regressing to the mean. Davis’s shot is a one in three chance at best. But Denver has had a lot of shots fall in their favor over the past 2 series.

One thing we’re left with is, with decent free throw shooting, Denver wins. Also, if Denver secures the rebound with 4 seconds left, they win. And probably, if Malone doesn’t outsmart himself and stick with the lineup that was shutting down la, Denver wins.

[NuggetsWY]

I still think we win this series. If you remember we lost a couple of games against the Clippers in the last minutes, this was on a buzzer beater, but that is the only difference.

I do believe it is possible for us to win, but I wouldn't bet on it - then again, I said the same thing after 4 games with Utah and 4 games with LAC.

Tonight I think Jokic finally figured out how to work Howard. That is a big deal.

Agreed - that's very significant.

If we are going to bring in a big for defense on a last second shot, why would you not bring in Bol? We know that Plumlee **** it up 3 out of 4 times, at least Bol with his long arms has a chance to affect a shot.

Because Malone doesn't like young players - except evidently Dozier went from virtually unused in the regular season to a Malone-favorite in the 16th game of the playoffs.

Dozier is needed in this series, his energy and help defense affected the Lakers, too bad he missed those fts. I have heard that Malone is good at keeping guys from getting too down on themselves, hopefully this has no affect on Dozier going forward.

If only Malone let young players get a few more minutes during the regular season ... but I've said that since his first year.

Call me crazy but I feel better about this series after game 2 than I did the Clippers series after game 2.

Crazy? No, but I'd say I feel a little worse about this series right now - especially because Harris is struggling with his shooting and our defense isn't very effective overall.

[skywalker33]

Lakers have too much size and experience. If you're gonna take them out, you need to hit your shots and take the fight to them, tire them out with accurate fast passing and confident execution. Come on Nuggets you've got youth and energy on your side, give'em hell.

Fakers also have too much NBA/Silver-driven referees. Media starting to take hold EVERYWHERE !!

The NBA would have preferred Clippers/Lakers for ratings but that didn't happen because the teams on the court decide the games not Silver and the refs. If they were controlling the outcome the Clippers would have won the last series.

While I agree that would've been Silver ultimate WCF, the Nuggets spoiled his wet-dream. Were Denver to toss LBJ's and AD's star-filled team from this playoffs, Silver would have a heart attack.

LeBron will turn 36 in Dec, he doesn't have many more opportunities left, Father-Time will always see to that. Right now, LBJ has Silver in his marketing pocket, so don't under-estimate his reach. LeBron can say or do whatever he wants without backlash, and LA is the number 1 market since NY is so ineptly run.

As for the Clippers series, Silver would have rather had them in the WCF but they would've been a big threat to the flagship Lakers team, why not let a young-upstart team take them out if they could, it would eliminate LAC. If not, he still could do to the Clippers what he's imploring his refs to do to the Nuggets, 1 maybe 2 games and it's in the bag. And looking back at what the Clippers did to the Lakers in the regular season, really works out best for the NBA's flagship, don't you think ?

If you didn't notice that 2nd qtr of the 1st game, 30 fouls in the half is just unheard of, putting Jokic AND Murray into foul trouble set the tone for this game. Fool yourself all you want, but I can prove NBA refs are on the take. One has already been to jail for rigging a game or two, don't be so naive to think there aren't more. Remember, the NBA itself is a business, they'll do whatever it takes to take care of itself.

[Manolito]

I am still devastated, I can´t believe it. That shot was the series, we had them.

Plumlee is so hot garbage. Useless

[The Rebel]

I still think we win this series. If you remember we lost a couple of games against the Clippers in the last minutes, this was on a buzzer beater, but that is the only difference.

I do believe it is possible for us to win, but I wouldn't bet on it - then again, I said the same thing after 4 games with Utah and 4 games with LAC.

I usually bet small amounts, and swore off betting on the Nuggets a couple of years ago but they are paying 2500 to 1 so I might throw a few bucks on it. I could use some new shoes.

Tonight I think Jokic finally figured out how to work Howard. That is a big deal.

Agreed - that's very significant.

I could not figure out why Jokic has always had problems with Howard and than last night It occurred to me that Jokic grew up watching when Howard was the dominate big. He may have been intimidated due to that, but he finally started giving him head fakes and double moves and Howard turned into the foul machine he has become.

If we are going to bring in a big for defense on a last second shot, why would you not bring in Bol? We know that Plumlee **** it up 3 out of 4 times, at least Bol with his long arms has a chance to affect a shot.

Because Malone doesn't like young players - except evidently Dozier went from virtually unused in the regular season to a Malone-favorite in the 16th game of the playoffs.

I'm sorry but that is not an acceptable answer to me, and I honestly do not believe it. On a night when Porter JR got solid minutes and as you say Dozier was on the court in meaningful minutes, a guy being young is not an excuse and is not something that has been proven about Malone.

Malone seems to have this irrational belief in Plumlee, he has always had it, and I do not understand why? Plumlee rarely does anything on those offense for defense subs, and I thought after the Jazz and Clippers series he had learned.

Dozier is needed in this series, his energy and help defense affected the Lakers, too bad he missed those fts. I have heard that Malone is good at keeping guys from getting too down on themselves, hopefully this has no affect on Dozier going forward.

If only Malone let young players get a few more minutes during the regular season ... but I've said that since his first year.

We will likely argue about this until Malone is gone, but I have a hard time giving Malone crap considering our team is full of young guys he developed and last night we had a rookie and 2 way contract guy playing meaningful minutes in the Western Conference Finals.

Call me crazy but I feel better about this series after game 2 than I did the Clippers series after game 2.

Crazy? No, but I'd say I feel a little worse about this series right now - especially because Harris is struggling with his shooting and our defense isn't very effective overall.

Those are 2 of the reasons I am sure we will win.

Harris has always been streaky, even when he was shooting high percentages he would have games like the last couple, and I think he is due to start hitting again.

Our defense was bad through the 1st half, the 2nd half we held them to 45 points. Not as good as we were against the Clippers, but a huge improvement and something that will continue to get better this series.

Add in that Jokic and MPJ seem to be figuring things out, and Malone finally figured out we can use Dozier's hustle and slashing for a few minutes, and I feel pretty good about where we are headed.