The final stat sheet shows an eight-point loss for the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday's Game 3 matchup against the Denver Nuggets, but the game was mostly one-sided. In fact, Denver controlled the pace for much of the contest, eventually walking away with a 114-106 victory. As a result, the series now stands at 2-1 in favor of the Lakers.
It's certainly not time to panic, but what must the Lakers do to get back on track for Game 4? Let's took a look at some necessary adjustments.
Consistent effort
LeBron James and Anthony Davis had impressive stat lines for the Lakers in Game 3, but it seemed like the two stars only played in spurts and didn't really come alive until the fourth quarter ā a quarter in which Los Angeles went on a 21-4 run to narrow the gap.
James finished with the 26th playoff triple-double of his career, scoring 30 points on 14-of-23 shooting (1-of-4 from beyond the arc), 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Davis logged 43 minutes, adding 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting. However, The Brow was 0-for-4 from downtown with just two rebounds and one assist. Furthermore, nine of his 27 points came at the free-throw line. Oh, and those two rebounds were his lowest total of the entire season.
Let's take a look at Davis' shot chart from Game 3 after his heroic Game 2:
Davis did well in the paint, but he struggled from outside and didn't do enough damage overall down low.
Accuracy at range
3-point shooting is of the utmost importance in today's NBA. On most nights, the Lakers can hold their own in this department. In Tuesday's Game 3 matchup against the Nuggets, however, Los Angeles made just six of their 26 attempts from beyond the arc. If you're keeping track, that's 23.1 percent.
By comparison, Denver converted 11-of-29 shots from downtown (37.9 percent). Clearly, Los Angeles will need to be better with this aspect of their game.
Utilize the zone
For whatever reason, the Nuggets struggled when the Lakers went to a zone defense late in the fourth quarter. Denver was leading by a whopping 20 points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, yet Los Angeles nearly managed to come back behind this defensive strategy.
With the zone in place, the Lakers got physical and forced a bunch of turnovers, which sparked that 21-4 run. Rajon Rondo was a menace at the top of the zone, nabbing several steals and turning defense into offense. The Nuggets were totally flummoxed and nearly gave the game away because they couldn't figure out this defensive strategy.
Frank Vogel should think about going to that zone again moving forward.
Limiting production
The Nuggets won Game 3 with a group effort, though Jamal Murray led the proverbial charge with 28 points and 12 assists. All in all, four Denver players finished with double digits in the scoring column. Three of those players actually had 20 or more (Murray, Jokic and Jerami Grant). Notably, Grant finished with a playoff career-high 26 points.
Murray dominated Game 3 offensively, being patient and running his team's offense. However, what was most impressive was the way he responded when the Lakers made their fourth-quarter run. The Nuggets were struggling against that zone, but Murray's late 3-pointer pushed the lead back to seven:
š¹ Jamal Murray caps off his 28-point night and the @nuggets win with a DEEP triple.. bullseye! š¹ pic.twitter.com/ii3WqMEYpJ
ā NBA (@NBA) September 23, 2020
The Lakers would ideally slow down Murray and Jokic. But even if they go off, Los Angeles can still have success by shutting down everybody else. Allowing career nights to role players like Grant is a recipe for disaster, especially if Murray and Jokic are also playing well.
Crash the boards
This one is clear to see. The Nuggets outrebounded the Lakers by a count of 44 to 25. This discrepancy is a bit alarming, especially for a team that sends out post players like Davis, Dwight Howard and Javale McGee. This kind of gap would seem to indicate that Denver simply played harder in the paint.
Charity stripe
Another easy stat to point to from Game 3 was free-throw shooting. As a team, the Lakers went 14-of-22 from the line, which is 63.6 percent. The Nuggets, on the other hand, knocked down 23 of their 29 attempts (79.3 percent).
Notably, LeBron James took just two free throws ā his lowest total of the postseason. LeBron needs to be more aggressive and get to the foul line more.
Don't sleep
The Nuggets may not have the league's best player in LeBron James, but they have a will that just won't quit. They've already racked up two come-from-behind series victories in these playoffs, which has bolstered their confidence a great deal. For this reason, the Lakers cannot sleep on Denver's fight. Just ask the Clippers and Jazz how they feel about the Nuggets' ability to erase a daunting deficit in the postseason.
Heck, you can argue Denver should be up in this series. Murray certainly thinks so:
āWe feel that we should be up 2-1 right now, to be honest,ā Murray said after Game 3, via ESPN. āSo we're just going to move on to Game 4.ā
The Nuggets will now look to even this series at two games apiece on Thursday night. Tip-off inside Disney's bubble complex in Florida is set for 9:00 p.m. ET, with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
Let's see if the Lakers respond.
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