Last Night In The NBA: The Lakers Continue To Torture The Nuggets And All Their Fans

Kevin C. Cox. Getty Images.

Good morning everybody happy Monday and welcome back to another edition of Last Night In The NBA where we bring you up to speed on everything that went down from the night before in the Association. Given that yesterday was all about football, I wouldn't blame you if you had no idea there was also a basketball game going on. The Thursday night game was so good I'm sure there are people that missed the incredible drama on the hardwood. Luckily for you, you don't need to spend this morning starting at your fantasy team that once again underachieved and only causes you nothing but pain and frustration. Instead, keep reading because here's what happened

Los Angeles Lakers (2-0) 105 vs Denver Nuggets (0-2) 103

You see what happens when the NBA doesn't assign BOTH Tony Brothers and Scott Foster to do a Laker game? They don't take 5000000 FTs and we actually have a competitive game! Almost like the league should realize they are ruining their product when they do that shit but what do I know. Boy is that annoying. As we saw, the Lakers are good enough to build a 16 point lead without such shenanigans, and man did Game 2 live up to the hype. Anyone who is a Nuggets fan will tell you that heartbreak like this against the Lakers is just how the history between these two teams goes, but man does this one have to sting.

Well start with the Nuggets because I'd a lot of what happened in this game was self inflicted. They could not stop turning the ball over to start this game. Finishing with 19, they had 6 in the first quarter and when you are playing a team like the Lakers that is the exact opposite of what you should be doing. That's especially true when you are getting good version of both Jokic and Jamal Murray

In the third quarter it was Jamal Murry who came alive offensively with the Nuggets finally tightened the screws on the defensive end. They forced 6 TOs, held the Lakers to just 22 points on 42/16% shooting, and entered the final frame with a good amount of momentum. Considering they were down 16 at one point in the first half and just down 4 entering the final quarter, it had the feel of these huge Nuggets comebacks we've seen so many times this postseason. Once they climbed back into the game, it was time for Jokic to put this team on his back. 

A monster fourth quarter. 12 straight points down the stretch including what very well could have been two separate game winners. The incredible tip on the Murray airball three was such a Jokic play, and then in the final 20 seconds when he bullied the shit out of Anthony Davis on the block, it really felt like they were going to pull this thing out. Sadly though, the Basketball Gods will always make you pay when you miss a fuck ton of fourth quarter FTs. PJ Dozier played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and actually looked decent in certain moments. But he went 1-5 from the FT line in the biggest quarter. As a team they missed 5. That just cannot happen. When you leave points like that on the board against the Lakers, you know what happens next. 

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Then there was their defense on the final play

Oh no Mason, what are you doing. Now it did look like Jerami Grant was telling him to go to that exact spot before the play started, so there was definitely some sort of miscommunication there. All I know is maybe don't leave Anthony Fucking Davis wide open for the game winning three. Even if he's not the best three point shooter this season, he had JUST made a huge one from this spot a few minutes prior. That type of mental error and miscommunication cannot happen. I think the Nuggets really could have used a timeout there to come up with a strategy but it all happened so fast. What stings is they got the initial stop, couldn't get the defensive rebound, and that's another thing the Basketball Gods will always make you pay for. There was no doubt in my mind the Lakers were going to score.

The good news is the Nuggets have been great as responding to adversity all year. Their season is on the line in Game 3, but I wouldn't call them dead just yet.

For the Lakers, it's the same formula pretty much every game because that formula is pretty damn unstoppable. LeBron and AD will do their thing, this time they combined for 57

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on a combined 21-44 shooting. When they do that, all this team needs is the role players to not suck ass and provide some timely secondary scoring. That's pretty much what happened. Both Danny Green and KCP had timely threes

and as much as it pains me to watch, Rajon Rondo keeps making huge plays as a facilitator. Remember, Lakers fans HATED Rondo. Ungrateful assholes

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The same way Jokic was the monster for the Nuggets in the fourth, then same was true for AD. It wasn't just his game winner. That was important because LeBron was a no show with only 2 points on 1-6 shooting and 2 TOs. As a team the Lakers didn't even shoot that well, just 38/38%, but when they needed to make a play and get a bucket, AD was there. 

I can't even lie, there is something in these Mamba jerseys. How could anyone debate that? The Lakers never lose while wearing them. If I were LA I would rock these the rest of the way. Why not? I can't really prove it, but I feel like they defend at a higher level when they wear these things too. The success of LA is more than just what LeBron and AD do offensively. It all comes back to how this team defends, and they are on another level right now.

And that's it! You are now all caught up with everything that went down last night in the NBA. We're off tonight and get back tomorrow with Game 3 of this series, and something tells me the Lakers will come out blazing now that they smell blood in the water. Have a great Monday!