The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 series lead over the Denver Nuggets, but the Nuggets might have the Lakers right where they want them. This Nuggets team has been down 3-1 in both of their playoff series wins this season, seeming to learn and grow as a series goes on.
On the daily Locked On Nuggets Podcast, hosts Matt Moore (HPBasketball) and Adam Mares discussed the Nuggets' approach to each playoff series and how LeBron James and Nikola Jokic are similar in one prehistoric way.
Adam Mares: To your point, the Nuggets do seem to get better. This is true for years now, and four series over two years that the Nuggets are better by Game 5 than they are in Game 1, just collectively. They seem to figure things out and start to hit their stride. So maybe we're seeing that here as well.
Matt Moore: I think that they have to figure out the Dwight [Howard] minutes. If they figure out the Dwight minutes, then they'll do it. They'll be in a much better situation. I don't know how they do that. I don't know what the answer is.
Adam: They do have to figure something out. And with those lineups and Jokic in particular, I think LeBron and Jokic are the same in this one way. They're like the the velociraptors in Jurassic Park, they're testing the fences, right? They're looking for weaknesses. And they're always thinking and I feel like both of those guys are kind of like okay, starting to know a little bit of this or that.
So I am curious about Jokic’s matchup with Dwight in Game 3. And if he draws some quick fouls, and if he scores on him without the fouls, then I think Nuggets fans can be a little bit more confident because that lineup, more than anything, is the reason that the Lakers have been able to get out to a 2-0 lead.
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