After the win against the Denver Nuggets, breaking an 11-game losing streak for the Lakers, one statistical fact stands out prominently.
Before entering this series, we were aware that another center classic awaited us. Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis are facing off in their third playoff showdown. Although the results have been uncertain so far, these two have made sure to remind us of the old days in the NBA when centers dominated the court.
The first two battles, fought in the Western Conference Finals, resulted in one win for each player. The Lakers won in the bubble in 2020 with a 4-1 series score, and it was Anthony Davis who sealed the series with a three-pointer over Nikola Jokic for the win. Last season, the Lakers were swept 4-0 in the series, and Jokic was hitting some crazy shots over Davis from a distance.
Today, as both are in the prime of their careers, we are truly seeing the best of them. One is a defensive genius who has honed his offensive skills almost to perfection, while on the other side, there’s the offensive mastermind in the form of Nikola Jokic, who has also worked hard to become at least a decent NBA defender.
In an era where players are so offensively talented, it’s hard to blame any player for failing to stop players like Jokic and Davis. Defenses practically have no answer for them because they can do it all on the court.
The Denver Nuggets have conceded a staggering 142 points in the paint in the last two games
The numbers confirm it. Jokic once again proves himself as one of the best playoff performers in history. In both series, he’s averaging a triple-double: 29 points, 15.3 rebounds, 10 assists, 1.5 steals, with unreal shooting percentages considering he’s guarded by Davis—59% from the field, 38% from three-point range, and 92% from the free-throw line.
On the other hand, Davis is finally being aggressively. It’s an aspect of his game that many have criticized him for over the years. He’s averaging 30.5 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 blocks, shooting 62% from the field and 83% from the free-throw line, although he’s 0-5 from three-point range in the series.
While it’s not surprising that Davis dominates so much, given that he’s guarded by Jokic, some numbers should concern Mike Malone. Davis shot 14-15 in the two games ago while guarded by Jokic, but when Aaron Gordon took over, he remained scoreless for the rest of the game, going 0-4. The Nuggets did return Jokic to guard Davis, but he continued to dominate over the Serbian center. The Lakers scored somewhat unbelievably 142 points in the paint in the last two games—70 and then 72 last night. Head coach Malone had a comment on that.
“I sounded like a broken record in every timeout”
“Joke. That’s how I would describe our defense in the paint. I sounded like a broken record in every timeout and team gathering. I kept repeating, ‘paint, paint, paint.’ In the third game, we gave up 70 points in the paint, but we found a way to win. Now the Los Angeles Lakers have scored an incredible 72 points under our basket.
That’s an unbelievable number. I don’t think we showed enough aggressiveness and had the right approach, especially defensively. We weren’t even close to winning this game.”
Jamal Murray is in a shooting slump
The impression is that every time LeBron James and Anthony Davis decide to play the pick and roll, Jokic stays high, leaving space behind him, namely the paint wide open, and players of their caliber easily exploit it. In the last playoffs, the pick and roll between Jamal Murray and Jokic was an unsolvable enigma for the California team, and now it seems like the Darvin Ham’s team has found the softest spot for which the Nuggets really have no answer.
Another aspect of the game that should worry the Denver Nuggets is Jamal Murray’s shooting form. Although his numbers are decent—21.5 points and 7.3 assists on average—he’s shooting only 38% from the field and 20% from three-point range. In the last three games, he’s 1-15 from beyond the arc. Besides the statistics, it seems like he often overdribbles, takes tough shots over defenders with the shot clock running out, and sometimes doesn’t find open teammates in better shooting positions.
Of course, the Nuggets lead 3-1, and Murray will likely improve his shooting numbers. However, the Lakers could seek advantages here if they can continue defending him effectively for the remainder of the series.
The next game is scheduled at 4 AM in Denver for two days.