NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Denver Nuggets at the Staples Center in a match that garnered a lot of interest because of LeBron James. LeBron started the match needing just 13 points to pass Michael Jordan in the All-Time scoring list. He scored 31 points to become the fourth highest points scorer in NBA history. However, the Lakers lost their sixth game in the last seven, by a 115-99 scoreline.
With the loss, the Lakers now have no realistic expectations of making the playoffs this year. They have a 30-35 record and are the 11th ranked team in the Western Conference. They are now 6.5 games behind the 8th placed team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Nuggets stopped their three-game skid and are currently the second-ranked team in the West with a 43-21 record. The Nuggets are just 1 game behind the Warriors in the race for the top playoff position in the West.
Let's have a look at the key talking points from this match:
#3 Strong showing on the glass from the Nuggets
The Nuggets looked like the team that wanted to win this match. They displayed immense energy on the court and thoroughly outplayed the Lakers.
The Nuggets had a great advantage on the boards in this match. They outrebounded the Lakers 55-41. Their advantage was even more visible on the offensive glass where they outrebounded the Lakers 18-5 resulting in numerous second opportunities for the team.
This constant energy on the boards resulted in the team taking 14 more shots in the match than their opponents. That proved to be a huge factor and also never allowed the Lakers to get back in this match.