Last month, after another regular season loss to the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James spoke candidly about his frustration playing the defending champions.
"They have our number," said James following a 124-114 loss on March 3rd. "We haven't beaten them in quite a while."
'Quite a while' is quite the understatement. It's been 496 days and counting since the last time the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets on December 16, 2022, and may last a whole lot longer.
The losing streak reached 11 games on Thursday night after the Nuggets mounted a second-half comeback, defeating the Lakers 112-105 in Game 3 of their first-round series at Crypto.com Arena.
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"We had guys missing shots that they normally make and that's the way the game goes," said Lakers' head coach Darvin Ham after the loss. "When you can't get a bucket and they're scoring, it's tough. We have to keep the scoreboard moving."
For the second straight year, the Lakers find themselves down 3-0 and on the brink of getting swept by the Nuggets out of the NBA Playoffs.
Denver took all four games against the Lakers during the Western Conference Finals last May.
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"Winning is a lifestyle for us," said two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, about not getting complacent for Game 4. "And we really enjoy this lifestyle."
Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 27 points, and four different starters scored over 20+ points for the reigning champions.
"There's a confidence that comes with being a champion," said Nuggets head coach Mike Malone. "There's a confidence with our starting five. That starting group has been through a lot of wars. They're battle-tested, and every time we get down, they don't panic. They stay the course and find a way to get back in the game."
Jokic got in foul trouble early but still finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists.
"I think every game gets tougher and tougher," said Jokic of the 11 straight wins against the Lakers. "It's really hard to play against the same team over and over again. We just have to trust what we're doing and don't get bored with success."
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with a game-high 33 points and 15 rebounds. LeBron James finished with 26 points in the loss.
"Our focus right now is to try and get one. To try and get a game and go from there," said Davis of the mentality entering an elimination game on Saturday. "We know it's hard. We know we've lost 11 straight. We can't focus on that. Our focus is on trying to get better…and try to get a win on Saturday."
D'Angelo Russell did not score a single point after finishing with 23 points on 7 three-pointers in Game 2 on Tuesday.
"It's unfortunate. He had some good looks that he just didn't knock down," said Ham of Russell's awful shooting night. "It's as simple as that. He was able to bounce back in Game 2 and I expect him to do the same in Game 4."
Austin Reaves tallied 22 points in defeat.
The Lakers got off to a hot start for the third consecutive game, building a 12-point lead early in the second quarter.
But it's not how you start, but how you finish, and the champs are the best at closing games in the NBA.
Denver out-scored the Lakers 34-22 in the third quarter and took a 12-point lead of their own midway through the third quarter.
"We spend so much energy in the first half and we come out in the third quarter with not as much energy," said James of the difference between the start of the game and the start of the second half. "But give credit where credit is is due, those guys make tough shot after tough shot."
Gordon dominated his matchup by running the baseline. At one point in the third quarter, he scored a layup or dunk on five out of seven offensive possessions.
Once the Nuggets built up a double-digit lead, the Lakers folded like origami, allowing the inevitable outcome to happen.
Denver had 14 offensive rebounds in Game 3, but the Lakers out-scored the Nuggets in the paint for the first time in the series 70-60. Both teams were atrocious from beyond the arc, with the Nuggets shooting 5-for-28 from distance and the Lakers shooting 5-for-27.
"We shot 5 of 27 from the three-point line," said LeBron about the difference in the game. "I thought we generated some really good shots we couldn't knock them down. The regular season and the postseason are two totally different things. Everything changes in the postseason."
Game 4 of the series tips off on Saturday night from Crypto.com arena at 5:30PM PT.
