"Kobe’s rolling in his grave": NBA fans pile on LA Lakers' misery after loss on Kobe Bryant statue day

The LA Lakers succumbed to their sixth loss in a row to the Denver Nuggets after Thursday's 114-106 defeat. It was also franchise legend Kobe Bryant's statue unveiling day. The Lakers donned the "Black Mamba" jerseys designed in honor of the five-time champion. During the championship run in 2020, the Lakers went on a 4-1 run donning those threads.

However, none of that inspired the team to win against the reigning NBA champions despite the Lakers keeping it a close affair. LA tied the game multiple times after going down by 15 points. The score was 100-100 with 3:44, but Denver romped past the Lakers with a 10-0 run to seal the game.

It was almost a replay of how the Lakers got decimated at the hands of the Nuggets when the West rivals matched up in the 2023 NBA Conference Finals. Every game was close then, with the Nuggets taking early leads and the Lakers making a comeback before eventually failing to prevail and getting swept in four games.

With the LA Lakers failing to pay a fitting tribute to Kobe Bryant on the memorable "8/24" statue day, NBA fans on social media rained down on Darvin Ham's team for their defeat.

"Kobe’s rolling in his grave y’all are embarrassing lakers," one fan wrote on Twitter.

More reactions followed:

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Same old struggles against Denver Nuggets doom LA Lakers again

The LA Lakers-Denver Nuggets showdown in the Western Conference finals had the same theme across all four losses for LeBron James and Co. LA couldn't find an answer to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray's two-man game. The Lakers' supporting cast was significantly more inefficient than their counterparts.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James did their thing, tallying 29 and 25 points, respectively, shooting a combined 23-of-47 (48.9%). Meanwhile, Austin Reaves and others shot 18-of-42 (42.8%).

On the other hand, the Nuggets got 27 points from Michael Porter Jr., while Nikola Jokic had 24 and Jamal Murray had 29. They made 14 triples as a team, while LA only had eight. A significant disparity at the free throw line also didn't aid Darvin Ham's team, as they missed six of their 22 free throws.

Meanwhile, Denver only made seven trips and hit six shots from the charity stripe. The Nuggets gained a 60-45 advantage on the boards, giving them 21 second-chance points. LA managed to limit their turnovers (seven), but it gave away 15 points.

Denver committed 12 turnovers, but the Lakers could only secure as many points as the Nuggets did off turnovers. It's worth noting that LA was without crucial rotation players like D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, while Max Christie, who made decisive plays early on, exited the game with an injury in the first half.

However, a win was still in sight, but the LA Lakers didn't execute their offense well enough to get over the hump.