Tonight, Kobe Bryant will come to the Pepsi Center one last time, and whether you’re a fan of him or not, it’ll be a sight to see.
Like many franchises in the NBA, the Nuggets have seen several of their seasons cut short by Bryant and the Lakers over the years. Of course, the one series everybody remembers is the Western Conference Finals, spoiled by Denver’s inability to inbound the ball (!!), but their seven-game series in the first-round three years later may have been the most exciting of them all.
And in reality, after all these years, there aren’t many franchises that have faced the wrath of Kobe Bryant more than the Denver Nuggets. With tonight being his 65th game against the Nuggets of his career, Denver only trails the Warriors, Clippers and Grizzlies for most matchups versus the legendary scorer.
And he hasn’t gone easy on them either, scoring 25.1 points per game.
Still, while it’ll be a relief to have Kobe’s other-worldly shot-making ability out of our lives, there’s at least a small part of every basketball fan who will miss the Black Mamba.
And rightfully so, the Nuggets will be paying tribute to the all-time great tongiht.
All that said, we still have an actual basketball game to play!
The Lakers are struggling this year, owning the second-worst record in the league at 11-49. The team really does not have an identity, other than being a melting pot of talent and personalities. They have the young guys like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, and they have the washed-up players like Roy Hibbert and Metta World Peace, as well as the I-don’t-care-if-I-miss guys like Nick Young and Lou Williams.
Topping it all off, obviously, is Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers are a team with a lot of moving parts that do not sit well together.
The Nuggets are a much more flexible team that has a foundation, unlike the Lakers. Denver can and should win this game, as they are clearly the better team.
Since the All-Star break, he Nuggets have allowed their opponents to score an average of 109.5 points per game. Fortunately, they’re facing a team that only averages 97.5 points per game, giving them as good a chance as any to get back on track.
Key to victory: Do not beat yourself
Unless Kobe Bryant has a throwback performance on Wednesday night, this game has a Nuggets win written all over it. The Nuggets average more points, more three pointers, assists, steals and blocks per game than the Lakers, showing on paper that they are the better team.
The Nuggets are in need of a win badly, going 1-5 out of the All-Star break. Tensions are high, fans are unhappy and questions surround the team’s future.
Aside from their poor defense, the Nuggets have been turning the ball over a ton, averaging 18 turnovers per game, which is nearly three more than their season average.
Game time is set for 7:00 P.M. MST.