The Los Angeles Lakers’ ongoing struggles against the Denver Nuggets have proven more than just a challenging matchup—it’s become a near-certainty. After being swept by Denver in the 2023 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers made significant roster changes, adding size and strength while building around their core to better compete with the defending champions. However, those adjustments had little impact, as the Nuggets won all four regular-season meetings last year and defeated the Lakers in just five games during their first-round playoff series.
In response, the Lakers made another change, this time on the sidelines, replacing Darvin Ham with JJ Redick as head coach. But even with those shifts, the Lakers entered their first matchup with Denver this season hoping to have corrected their past mistakes. They were bolstered by the return of starter Rui Hachimura and the absence of Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, while Denver had played a game the night before, giving the Lakers a potential advantage in energy.
Yet, as the game unfolded on Saturday, the sense of déjà vu was impossible to ignore. Despite expectations of a more prepared and confident squad, the Lakers faltered once again. In the third quarter, with Anthony Davis visibly frustrated after missing a floater over Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets capitalized, racing ahead for a commanding 127-102 victory. The Lakers’ poor play, particularly in the third quarter, echoed their past failures against Denver.
Lakers coach JJ Redick acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, but downplayed any connection to their previous losses, emphasizing that the issues stemmed from a lack of the right mindset. “It was kind of obvious to me what happened there. Just not the right spirit,” Redick said.
LeBron James and Davis combined to shoot just 13-for-36, with James committing six turnovers, marking his 36th turnover over the last six games. D’Angelo Russell also struggled, and despite a late three-pointer, his presence only seemed to exacerbate the Lakers’ frustration.
“It was just bad overall,” Davis said after the game, pointing to missed opportunities and critical mistakes. While the Lakers had chances to capitalize on Denver’s 18 turnovers, they could only convert those into 18 points—an insufficient return against a team that has consistently dominated them.
With a 10-6 record, the Lakers will need to quickly regroup if they are to find a way to break their ongoing pattern of underperformance against the Nuggets.