The Denver Nuggets are rolling, but they’re about to face a big test tonight on national television.

Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers are coming to town. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games and are well-positioned to be a challenger in the Western Conference for years to come. Of course, the Nuggets haven’t felt that way about them for the last few years. Now that Doncic is in the picture though, things might be changing in real time.

Let’s delve into the Los Angeles Lakers matchup:

Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic

Los Angeles: Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes

Key Bench Players

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Julian Strawther, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan

Los Angeles: Gabe Vincent, Jordan Goodwin, Dalton Knecht, Dorian Finney-Smith, Trey Jemison

Notable Injuries

Denver: Jamal Murray – PROBABLE, Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE, Peyton Watson – OUT, Vlatko Cancar – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Los Angeles: Luka Doncic – PROBABLE, LeBron James – PROBABLE, Maxi Kleber – OUT, Bronny James – OUT

Key for the Nuggets – Run on offense and load up on defense

Since trading away Anthony Davis on February 1st, the Los Angeles Lakers have surprised everyone by achieving the fourth best halfcourt defense in the NBA in those seven games. It’s a small sample size, but the Lakers have been pretty great defensively because they’re switching everything, protecting the defensive glass reasonably well, and forcing enough turnovers to jumpstart their own offense.

Now, they haven’t faced anybody quite like Jokic. He’s a cheat code in that halfcourt and will figure things out. Still, the best way to score points is to avoid halfcourt offense altogether and run in transition. That’s where Christian Braun, Russell Westbrook, and Julian Strawther can be especially effective tonight. Oh, and Jamal Murray will be running two, having scored an absurd 89 points in his last two games.

Then on the other end, Denver can’t over-index on Luka Doncic. LeBron James has been tremendous. Since January 1st, James is averaging 26.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game while shooting 54.2% from the field and 44.1% from three on six attempts per game. He’s been dynamic. Denver should send their extra help at James and allow Doncic to go 1-on-1 instead.

Important Matchup – LeBron James vs Nikola Jokic

There will be times when these two match up head-to-head, but for the most part, this is about how each player runs their team. James and Jokic are considered the two players with the highest basketball IQ in the NBA. It’s why LeBron is still a special player to this day, and it’s made Jokic the best in the world for the better part of five years.

Jaxson Hayes isn’t slowing down Jokic 1-on-1, so the Lakers will be sending help constantly. They might even use Rui Hachimura (yep), Dorian Finney-Smith, or LeBron to start possessions matching up with Jokic. It’s Jokic’s responsibility to make sure those mismatches lead to great shots constantly, and not just for him but on cuts and kickouts as well.

For the Nuggets and Jokic, they will be slow matching up with the Lakers’ slashing and spacing perimeter attack, led by LeBron. Can Denver force enough turnovers and grab enough defensive rebounds to overcome the number of open shots they will inevitably give up?

Number of the Day – 9

9 games is the length of Denver’s currently winning streak. Under Michael Malone and with Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets have never won 10 games in a row. They’ve had a separate nine game streak, an eight game streak, and two seven game streaks. Never 10.

In franchise history, Denver’s only ever had a 10+ game win streak six times. They did it three times in the 1980s with Alex English. They did it once in 1977 with David Thompson. They did it once in 2005 with Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller. Finally, Denver’s longest win streak in franchise history was the fabled 2012-13 team. They won 15 games in a row from late February to late March, and each of the last five games of that streak were single-digit victories.

Nugget who should have a good game: Michael Porter Jr.

During the calendar year of 2024, Michael Porter Jr. faced the Los Angeles Lakers eight times, including the regular season and playoffs. Here are his point totals and scoring efficiency in each of those games, in chronological order:

  • 27 points, 66.0% True Shooting
  • 25 points, 125.0% TS
  • 19 points, 63.3% TS*
  • 22 points, 84.6% TS*
  • 20 points, 59.2% TS*
  • 27 points, 60.8% TS*
  • 26 points, 88.8% TS*
  • 24 points, 77.7% TS

*denotes playoff game

Porter is averaging 23.75 points per game on 74.5% True Shooting in his last eight games against the Lakers. He’s clearly found success vs the Lakers coverages that are forced to account for Jokic and Murray actions consistently. It’s fair to say the Nuggets will be looking for him tonight, especially after he struggled in Thursday’s matchup vs Charlotte.