![]() He is averaging 22.7 points, 6.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds and shooting 55% from the field and 56.5% on 3-pointers. The second-year undrafted guard from Arkansas is the Lakers’ third-best scoring option behind James and Davis. ![]() The lineups with James, Davis, Russell, Reaves and Vanderbilt, and James, Davis, Schroder, Russell and Reaves have been clobbered. The best Lakers lineup in the series is James, Schroder, Hachimura, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves. Ham can’t crush his confidence, but he also can’t leave him in the game too long either if he’s not producing. But it might be difficult to make Russell a reserve. Ham has tinkered with lineup changes, and inserting Rui Hachimura into the starting lineup is another option. “We have all the faith in the world in DLo,” Ham said earlier in the series. It helped the Lakers get into the playoffs and then win two series. It leaves Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham in a tricky spot. In the conference semifinals against Golden State, Russell was plus-10. Regardless, it’s hard to ignore that the Nuggets are 51 points better than the Lakers when Russell is on the court. Individual plus-minus in basketball can be a misleading stat, especially in a small sample size. Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell, acquired from Minnesota before the February trade deadline, has struggled offensively in the series. He is averaging 7.0 points on 8-for-27 shooting, including 2-for-14 on 3-pointers. Western Conference finals: One win away from NBA Finals, Nuggets credit teamwork for playoff dominance Less D’Angelo Russell for the Lakers The Nuggets have been masterful in finding those advantages in the series. The Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt could spend more time defending Murray, but every Lakers decision creates an advantage elsewhere. Los Angeles will consider putting a bigger defender on Murray, using the pesky and effective Dennis Schröder. Murray is feasting on the Lakers’ very good defense. “Once he gets it going, it’s kind of hard to turn him off,” James said. Over those two games, he is 26-for-53 from the field and 11-for-25 on 3-pointers. Murray scored 37 points in Game 2 and 37 again in Game 3. What do the Lakers need to do to climb back into the series? Slow down Jamal Murray Sports newsletter: Get the latest news and analysis in your inbox While games have been close, the Nuggets have just been better, especially when it’s time to make plays with game undecided. ![]() Game 4 is Monday in Los Angeles (8:30 p.m. Just focus on Game 4, and that's all you can really think about.” But James is also part of the only team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and win a championship. That happened against Golden State in 2016. Just three teams in those 149 scenarios even forced a Game 7.Ī LeBron James team is down in the conference finals 3-0 for the first time in his career, though three times he has been down 3-0 in the NBA Finals.Ī James team has been swept in the playoffs twice, both in the Finals - 2007 against San Antonio and 2018 against Golden State. No team in 149 3-0 series in NBA history has come back and won the series. Just one.ĭown 3-0 to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, the Lakers face what has been an impossible endeavor. That’s what the Los Angeles Lakers want and need. Watch Video: Where does Erik Spoelstra rank on list of best coaches in NBA history?
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