NBA 2021/22 on Sunday, 03.04.2022
The game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets is also interesting because both are fighting for a playoff ticket in their own way.
The Californians have their sights set on the last available spot for the play-in tournament.
The visitors, on the other hand, want to be among the first six teams in the conference to qualify directly for the postseason. Meanwhile, in my Lakers Nuggets tip, I’ll explore which of the two franchises is closer to a win tonight.
There are only a few games left until the end of the Regular Season and according to the current state of affairs, the overall winner from two years ago would be out! The Lakers seem to be losing the long-distance duel with the Spurs for 10th place.
And they have only themselves to blame! Because the Lilagelben have just lost their fifth game in a row!
Yesterday’s defeat against New Orleans was close, but devastating for the morale of the team, which now lost for the second time in a few days to the Pelicans’ far from outstanding starting five.
The amazing thing about the loss to the Pelicans was that Anthony Davis celebrated his comeback and they couldn’t win despite another outstanding LeBron James alongside him (38 points) and their own crowd behind them.
If the Lakers can’t even win their games against a franchise with a negative record under these favourable circumstances, then they probably won’t win another match until the end of the regular season.
Especially now that the Nuggets are visiting Los Angeles. With a record of 46-32, Denver is clearly one of the best teams in the conference, but will also have to go full throttle until the end, as everything from second to seventh place seems to be possible!
The Nuggets have won three games in a row against teams that can be compared to the Lakers. Yesterday, however, they were defeated by the strong Timberwolves with 130-136.
Tonight’s game will be easier for the visitors, though, because Anthony Davis is missing a lot of practice after his comeback, so the two forwards Gordon and Green shouldn’t have too much trouble playing their way through.
The Californians’ main problems, however, remain the same as at the beginning of the season. On the one hand, the home side’s misery is due to a weak defence, which has allowed an average of 121.4 points in their last ten games alone.
The Lakers’ other problem is that signings like Russell Westbrook have been one big disappointment. The performance disparity between James, Davis and the rest of the team has also simply become far too great due to all the bad trades.
The Nuggets last benefited from these imbalances in mid-January. Back then, they managed to show the Lakers up in a 133-96 victory in a head-to-head duel! Nah’Shon Hyland alone scored 27 points that night!
Bottom line, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Lakers Nuggets tip seems to favour the visitors. They are much closer to a win, both in terms of quality and form.
Conclusion: It’s a real shame that a team like the Lakers, with possibly the second-best player of all time at the helm, is in danger of missing the postseason completely.
But Anthony’s comeback did not bring the hoped-for turnaround and instead led to the fifth defeat in a row. Tonight it will certainly not be easier against the strong Nuggets, who are currently fighting for a direct playoff spot.
In addition, Denver beat the Californians by more than thirty points in their last encounter about two months ago. With this in mind, I remain optimistic that the better-playing visitors will once again prevail.
My Lakers Nuggets tip : Win by the Nuggets!
