Lakers vs Nuggets: Frank Vogel Explains what Went Wrong as Lakers Lost in Absence of LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers suffered their third consecutive loss on Sunday against Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference face-off.

For the first time in the season, the Lakers were without their superstar LeBron James, who was with a muscle strain. Lakers were coming into the game having lost two consecutive games for the first time in the league. In a quest to get back to winning ways, the Lakers looked far from making it without their star man.

“First half we missed some open looks and they capitalised,” Lakers manager Frank Vogel was explaining the loss after the game.

The Lakers had 19 turnovers and conceded 24 points off it. They conceded 73 points in the second half alone.

“It (turnovers) is something that has been a problem for us,” Lakers said. “Something we talked about pre-game. (We’ve also) talked about it in the most recent road game. But we’re still turning the ball over, which is a form of being yourselves and it is definitely a part of tonight’s game.”

Needless to say Lebron’s absence was clarly visible on the floor.

“Our offensive flow, our defense, playmaking offensively,” Vogel said when he was asked what was disturbed in absence of LeBron James.

“We got to win a game. There’s no excuse,” he further said. “We didn’t play good enough to win the game. We got to be better.”

Kyle Kuzma- a win in the loss

For the Lakers, Kyle Kuzma was making a return after an injury lay off. He came off the bench and played 22 minutes. He looked fresh and energetic in what slowly turned out to be a dull night for the Lakers. He finished with 16 points and eight rebounds on the night, impressing his coach.

“He was good'” Vogel said of Kuzma. “He had good energy. Our team, as a whole, didn’t have great energy.

“Kyle plays extremely hard. It is one of his strengths. As a group, we weren’t able to put up a win. “