Amid the ongoing race for playoff seedings, Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic kept it real when asked whether or not his team would want to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason. The MVP frontrunner claimed that his team would embrace the challenge of playing against the best and bared that they won't try to run away from any team – even if it's the defending champions, per Mike Singer.
Nikola Jokic on whether he wants to play the Lakers in the first round:
“If it happens, it happens. Why not? If we want to win it, we need to play with the best. We are not going to try to fix anything.”
— Mike Singer (@msinger) May 4, 2021
The Nuggets are currently sitting at the third spot in the Western Conference and they are set to face the sixth-seeded team in the first round proceedings if they manage to maintain their position by the end of the regular season. On the other hand, the Lakers are still jockeying for position as they are currently owning the fifth spot amid a tight race in the middle of the standings.
They are only a game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks who are listed as the sixth seed, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers in the seventh spot of the standings. The positions of the three teams can definitely change depending on the results of their games in the coming days.
Despite the uncertainty of the standings, both the Nuggets and the Lakers already figured in a potential first-round playoff matchup on Monday night. Even without LeBron James and Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles still managed to run away with a tight 93-89 victory due to the production of star big man Anthony Davis.
The eight-time All-Star led the Purple and Gold as he finished with 25 points and seven rebounds. He also concluded the contest with a total of three blocks, including a game-sealing rejection on a three-point attempt by Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo in the final seconds of the game.
Ultimately, the Lakers shouldn't be underestimated by any team even if they finish in the lower echelon of the Western Conference standings by the end of the regular season. Though they are still finding their rhythm as a unit, it is best to believe that both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will still pose a huge threat to whichever team they will face in the first round of the playoffs.
At the same time, fans can expect Nikola Jokic and company to not back down and hold their ground too.
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