Yesterday’s Game 2 in the Western Conference Fnals between the Lakers and Nuggets was a thrill-ride. Here’s the LA Times with some takeaways:
The Lakers made the Nuggets pay for their early sloppiness, which helped them cover some of their own mistakes. Both teams committed 14 first-half turnovers. Despite this parity on turnovers, the Lakers had a 10-point lead going into halftime and led by 16 in the first half, perhaps driving home the idea that to beat the Lakers requires mistake-free basketball.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel didn’t feel quite so comfortable for much of the game. “Leads mean nothing against this team,” Vogel said.
Vogel said he would consider starting Dwight Howard in Game 2 but stayed with JaVale McGee at center.
The Nuggets asked a lot of guard Jamal Murray, who played 44 minutes on Sunday night. Murray scored 25 points and had a game-high plus/minus rating of 16.
The Lakers like to play at a fast pace, and the Nuggets made an effort to disrupt that on Sunday. They had some success at times, and it’s something the Lakers want to keep an eye on.
Leading scorers for both teams so far in the 2020 NBA playoffs:
LAKERS:
Anthony Davis 28.7 PPG
LeBron James 25.6
Kyle Kuzma 10.8
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 10.1
Rajon Rondo 9.0
NUGGETS:
Jamal Murray 26.6 PPG
Nikola Jokic 25.4
Michael Porter Jr. 11.5
Jerami Grant 9.9
Monte Morris 8.5
