After a strong win against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, the Denver Nuggets are hoping to get back some reinforcements tonight. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun, or some combination of the three could all return to face the Los Angeles Lakers. This is a big game if the Nuggets want to stay above the Lakers in the West playoff standings. Every game matters that much more with just 13 games to go.
Let’s delve into the final Los Angeles Lakers matchup of the regular season:
Denver Nuggets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Los Angeles: Jordan Goodwin, Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic, Dorian Finney-Smith, Jaxson Hayes
Key Bench Players
Denver: Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, Hunter Tyson, Vlatko Cancar, Spencer Jones?!
Los Angeles: Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Shake Milton, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Koloko
Notable Injuries
Denver: Nikola Jokic – QUESTIONABLE, Jamal Murray – QUESTIONABLE, Aaron Gordon – PROBABLE, Christian Braun – QUESTIONABLE, Julian Strawther – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Los Angeles: Luka Doncic – PROBABLE, LeBron James – OUT, Rui Hachimura – OUT, Maxi Kleber – OUT, Trey Jemison – QUESTIONABLE
Key for the Nuggets – Play Hard
It’s amazing what flat out effort can do. The Nuggets flew around against the Golden State Warriors on Monday and earned an impressive win against a team that was 14-1 in their last 15 games. Denver’s game plan discipline was great for most of the night, but even when it wasn’t, Denver simply battled on both ends of the floor and made more hustle plays than they usually do. That makes up for subpar execution a surprising amount in the regular season.
Can the Nuggets replicate that effort? Maybe. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Christian Braun are all questionable on the injury report. If they can go, it’s a double-edged sword, because while it’s good to get back talented reinforcements, those guys have to save something for the tank in the playoffs. Let’s see if Michael Malone keeps the rotation relatively open for that reason, allowing players like Hunter Tyson, Vlatko Cancar, Peyton Watson, and even Spencer Jones to earn more minutes with hard work.
Important Matchup – Austin Reaves vs Nuggets defense
In three games vs the Nuggets so far this season, Austin Reaves is averaging 26.3 points and 8.7 assists per game while maintaining 52/46/93 shooting splits. He’s been incredible vs Denver, especially in the previous matchup five days ago when he had an absurd 37 points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds.
Denver simply has to find a way to slow down that production. It’s one thing if Luka Doncic is going crazy against your team. It’s another if Reaves is ALSO going crazy. Denver’s perimeter defense looked better against the Golden State Warriors on Monday. perhaps there’s some translatable defensive skills from game to game.
Number of the Day – 38
38 points was the season high for Aaron Gordon and the most he’s ever scored in a Denver Nuggets uniform.
Too often, it’s forgotten that Gordon was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and was a stronger individual scorer in Orlando than he has been in Denver. By necessity, Gordon shifted his role around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and deserves a ton of credit for it. Without those two on the floor on Monday though, it was up to Gordon to deliver the scoring needed to take down Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors. Gordon delivered in a big way, showing he has more in the tank for the playoffs when they arrive.
Nugget who should have a good game: Nikola Jokic
Let’s try this again. Jokic didn’t play on Monday in Denver’s win over Golden State. It would be funny if he sat out back-to-back ESPN games, but I think he returns tonight and plays pretty hard. The Lakers have still found ways to bother him, but the more often Jokic faces a team, the more information he downloads and improves over time. Even though Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes are back, I expect Jokic to be back in full force as well.