"Doesn't matter what you do in 47 & half minutes": LeBron James lays down the law for Lakers to find clutch gene vs. Nuggets
As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for their two home games against the Denver Nuggets in their 2024 NBA Playoffs first-round matchup, LeBron James laments on the first two matches of the series.
After a heartbreaking Game 2 loss that ended in a Jamal Murray buzzer-beater, the 20-time NBA All-Star is reminded of the unpredictability of a basketball game.
Entering the second half of Game 2, the Lakers owned a 20-point lead that many already saw that the team would finally get to end their 10-game drought against the Nuggets. After a missed three-point shot that could potentially win the game, LeBron reminded himself that an NBA basketball game is played 48 minutes.
In a report by Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation, the four-time NBA MVP told the media that the Lakers are reminded of their past mistakes in the first two games and manage to see a silver lining.
"It's all about sustainability. It doesn't matter what you can do throughout the 47 and a half minutes. You got to finish the game, which we didn't do. We got to do a better job of that," James said. "Some of the things we've done over the first couple of games, we're happy and excited about. But we got to do a better job of closing."
LeBron James flabbergasted recalling the last time the LA Lakers played at the Crypto.com Arena
The Los Angeles Lakers have the home-court advantage at the Crypto.com Arena, which is something that they are looking to maximize since they have won 28 of 42 games in front of their home fans.
With the team finishing the last two games on the road at New Orleans during the play-in tournament and traveling to Denver for the first two games of the first round, LeBron James is surprised that the Lakers have not played in their home court for quite a while.
The last time that the Lakers played at the Crypto.com Arena was on April 9 against the Golden State Warriors, and they won. James played in that matchup and contributed 33 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and two steals.
"It has been forever since we played here to be honest," said James as he asked the media as well when they last played in their home court. "That's pretty messed up."
The Lakers are down 0-2 against the Nuggets in their best-of-seven series, and Game 3 is set to happen on Thursday.