"Beat the sh*t out of us" - $53.8 M guard drops honest opinion on LA Lakers' latest defeat vs. Denver Nuggets
The LA Lakers suffered their 13th loss in 14 games against the Denver Nuggets, including the playoffs and fifth straight in the regular season on Saturday. After taking a 10-point lead in the first half and a 63-57 advantage into halftime, LA suffered a third-quarter collapse.
Denver scored 37 in that stretch while limiting the Lakers to 15 points. The Nuggets went on a game-altering 50-17 run in that span, annihilating the Lakers from a relatively unlikely position. Lakers' $53.8 million guard, Austin Reaves, didn't mince words about the mauling LA endured against Nikola Jokic and Co.
"Last year was last year … Tonight they beat the s**t out of us," Reaves told reporters after the game (h/t Lakers' beat reporter Dave McMenamin).
The Nuggets won 127-102 behind a 34-point night from reigning three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic. He added 13 rebounds and eight assists. Jokic thoroughly outplayed MVP-candidate rival Anthony Davis, who finished with a season-low 14 points.
Davis had 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks, but his lack of offensive production on just 6 of 19 shooting hindered the LA Lakers' chances of winning.
Austin Reaves leads LA Lakers in scoring in gut-wrenching loss
Austin Reaves was one of the lone bright spots for the LA Lakers in another disheartening loss to the Denver Nuggets. The 26-year-old guard scored a team-high 19 points on 53.8% shooting and dished six assists. He also made three of his seven shots from 3-point range.
Unfortunately, Reaves' efficiency wasn't matched by most of his teammates in the rotation before the game was well out of the Lakers' hands in the clutch. LA seemingly struggled with a mental block after playing impressively after their 1-4 run on the road.
The team clicked on both ends but didn't sustain longer than the opening two quarters against Denver. The Lakers were beaten on all fronts, including schematically, intensity and execution.
The rebounding battle ended 48-32 in Denver's favor, who also outscored LA 15-5 on second-chance points. The Nuggets' offense also exploited the Lakers defensively, scoring 64 points in the paint.
The Lakers had Anthony Davis switching on the perimeter in pick-and-rolls. Nikola Jokic made the most of it by punishing players inside the paint.
The Lakers tried some drop coverage, but Jokic shot 3 of 7 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the transition defense struggles remained constant throughout the contest. It has been one of LA's major weaknesses.
The LA Lakers are averaging 27.4 points per contest in transition, ranking the second worst in the league behind the Utah Jazz after Saturday's game vs. Denver.