The Los Angeles Lakers have been in and out of the conversation about championship contention this season. Despite their impressive run in February and winning 7 out of their last 10 games, they’ve struggled to end games during clutch time, losing their momentum during the final minutes.
With an impressive win against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, the Lakers have to maintain momentum for the remainder of the regular season to be favored for the championship. Popular NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith has shared his take on the Lakers’ chances to win the NBA this season as well.
Stephen A. Smith talks on Lakers chances to be NBA champions
The Lakers’ big three—LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell—despite defeating many top contenders over the season, have failed to impress NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith. He said in a talk show that even though he acknowledges the Lakers as a capable team of winning, he criticizes the team for getting swept by the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, all season.
He said, “How am I supposed to consider you a serious threat when the reigning defending NBA champions continuously abuses you at every turn? I just look at the Lakers, and I find myself saying, ‘I’m like yo, they can ball. I get it. They can’t beat the Denver Nuggets. That’s their kryptonite. To me, that’s the measuring stick.” on the ESPN talk show.
Stephen also emphasized the fact that if the Lakers make the playoffs, somewhere down the road, they have to face the Nuggets again and have to go through them in order to make the NBA finals.
Lakers vs Nuggets head-to-head in 23-24 NBA season
The Lakers have fallen against the Denver Nuggets for the eighth time, including in the playoffs, and are 0-3 this season following their last matchup. It ruined LeBron James’ night, where he set the record of being the only player in the NBA to have 40,000 regular-season points.
All three losses that the Lakers suffered against the Nuggets this season have one thing in common: they went head-to-head throughout the matchups and even overcame the deficit, but poor shot selection and defensive breakdowns during the final crucial minutes led the Nuggets to score and take the lead at the end of the regulations.
The Lakers are currently the 9th seed in the Western Conference with a record of 34-29, which secures their position in the play-in tournament. However, the remaining games for the Lakers are crucial because the Western Conference is competitive, and if they overcome their setbacks, they can still secure a playoff spot.
