"We comin'... Lakers tomorrow" - Shaquille O'Neal guarantees LA Lakers win in Game 2

Shaquille O'Neal is riding with his former team LA Lakers to beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2. The Lakers were outplayed for most of their Game 1 loss on Tuesday, dropping the contest 132-126. They found some spark in the fourth quarter, overturning a 21-point deficit to three points down the stretch.

Lakers had the chance to tie the contest with 45 seconds, but LeBron James missed the crucial 3-pointer, giving the Nuggets the cushion to extend their lead with little time left in the game.

Shaq, who rooted against the Lakers in the conference semis against the Warriors, surprisingly believes they can take Game 2.

Here's what he said on 'Inside The NBA':

"We comin'. We ain't laying down... Lakers tomorrow. Guarantee!"

Shaquille O'Neal has had reservations about the Lakers, especially Anthony Davis. The star big man had an up-and-down playoffs campaign until Game 4 of the conference semis.

Davis produced below-par performances every alternate game, but he stepped up with back-to-back 20-point outings for the first time in the postseason and has been dominant for three straight games.

The LA Lakers closed the Dubs in six games. Davis recently produced his first 40-point effort of the 2023 playoffs in the Lakers' Game 1 loss. That's an encouraging sign for the team, as their results heavily depend on AD's form.

LA Lakers' second-half dominance against Denver Nuggets in Game 1 was encouraging

The LA Lakers got their game plan wrong in the first half of Game 1 against Denver Nuggets, who outplayed them with their intensity and pace. The Lakers took time to settle into the physicality of the Nuggets, something they didn't have to face against the Warriors.

However, the Lakers made tweaks in the lineup by going big and introducing Rui Hachimura worked wonders for coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers playing a bigger lineup gave them the advantage on the boards.

They were outrebounded 36-13 in the first half, but it went 17-11 in their favor in the final two quarters. LA also contained Nikola Jokic well in the second half.

The Lakers' help defenders couldn't make much impact due to their lack of size when Anthony Davis was the primary defender in the first half. Ham put Rui Hachimura on Jokic in the second, allowing Davis to play as a help defender, which made it difficult for "The Joker" to score or pass at will.

The LA Lakers could lean towards going big with their starting lineup in the next game by replacing Rui Hachimura with D'Angelo Russell in Game 2.