"A for effort", "YOU ARE THE FATHER": George Karl and former NBA champ humiliate Lakers after another meltdown vs Denver
The LA Lakers suffered a 101-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs at the Ball Arena on Monday. Jamal Murray's buzzer-beater sealed the win for the Nuggets who trailed the entire game. The loss earned some consolatory words from George Karl while former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins trolled LA. Former Denver coach Karl believed the Purple and Gold deserved an "A" for their effort. Perkins was a lot more savage.
Here's what Karl had to say (via X):
"But u tried super hard Lakers and deserve an A for effort."
Perkins minced no words. He wrote:
"The test results are in. The Denver Nuggets YOU ARE THE FATHER."
The LA Lakers did everything right for most of the game. Their defense was spot on as they kept Nikola Jokic and Murray quiet, while Anthony Davis showed why the DPOY snub was a mistake by being a force on both ends of the floor.
LeBron James showed his playmaking skills by finding the right personnel at the right places as LA led 59-44 at the half. Ultimately, it was Murray's game-winner in clutch seconds as Denver escaped with a two-point win to lead 2-0.
Anthony Davis believes the Lakers have to sort out flaws before Thursday
The LA Lakers led for a major portion of the game but had instances where they were not generating enough on the offense. This allowed the Nuggets to make a comeback in the second half and eventually pip the side 101-99.
Anthony Davis had a field day with 32 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block, but it wasn’t enough to propel LA to a win. Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the game, he stressed the glaring weakness on the floor.
"We have stretches where we don't know what we're doing on both ends of the floor. Those are the ones that cost us. We've got two days to get it right and come ready to win Game 3 Thursday."
The Nuggets now lead 2-0 and will head to LA for the next two games. Wins on both occasions will see them seal the first-round series against the Lakers for the second time in the playoffs in as many seasons.
Davis had an excellent regular season with averages of 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. He shot 55.6% from the field and 27.1% from the three-point range this season.