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Darvin Ham and the LA Lakers’ reward for once again beating the New Orleans Pelicans is a date with their nemesis, the Denver Nuggets. LA’s hard-fought 110-106 victory over the Pelicans on Tuesday clinched them the No. 7 seed and the right to face the defending champs. The Lakers will face a team that has beaten them eight straight times including a sweep in the conference finals last year.
Against Nikola Jokic and Co., the Lakers will have to overcome the Nuggets’ home-court advantage. In their lone game in Mile High City to open the season, they gasped for air in Denver’s high altitude, losing 119-107. Ham will have to plan how to beat the Nuggets’ bread and butter of Jokic and Jamal Murray dissecting the Lakers' defense.
Despite the seemingly insurmountable odds, Darvin Ham had this to say about meeting the Denver Nuggets again:
"It's back to 0-0. Obviously, they've had a ton of success against our ball club but, there's always a new day. … We’ll go out there and give it our best shot. That’s all we can do. We feel comfortable, though. … We like our chances.”
Last year, the LA Lakers also emerged out of the Play-In Tournament as the No. 7 seed. They handily beat Ja Morant and the chaotic Memphis Grizzlies in the first-round series. The Lakers will not be lining up against a fairly inexperienced team with leadership issues this time around.
The Lakers can’t count on the Nuggets shooting themselves in the foot. Jokic and Murray have been superb when the stakes are high. To get past the defending champs, Darvin Ham’s team will have to be at its best.
Darvin Ham’s Lakers aren’t ducking the smoke
Leading into Tuesday’s showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans, some fans and a handful of analysts suggested a radical route for the LA Lakers. They wanted the Purple and Gold to punt versus the Pelicans and then beat the winner of the Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors battle.
In that scenario, they would punch a ticket to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and face the OKC Thunder in the first round.
While LA has struggled against Denver, it has been superior to the Thunder this season, winning the head-to-head battles, 3-1. Ham’s team, however, showed that it wanted all the smoke coming from the reigning champs. They knew what was ahead of them if they won versus New Orleans and didn’t hesitate.
Ham already said that he and his coaching staff have already laid the groundwork of a battle plan. How they can execute it to beat the Denver Nuggets remains to be seen. The Lakers are excited to get some revenge and send Nikola Jokic and his teammates to an early vacation.
Guess the Lakers players!
