Ahead of the much-awaited Game 2, Darvin Ham blurted out his helplessness. The Los Angeles Lakers have faced all kinds of scrutiny for their repeated failure against the Denver Nuggets. The other night, LeBron James & Co. suffered their 9th straight loss against Nikola Jokic & Co. in Game 1. While everyone expected a confident team ahead of the next playoff game, Coach Ham seems to have an unexpected route!

During the pre-game press conference, Ham ranted about figuring out a way of stopping the Siberian center. He said, “He is becoming extremely efficient, like when he is manning their offense. He knows how to kill you in a variety of different ways. Just got to put constant pressure on him and that doesn’t seem to bother him either. Taller than everybody, wingspan, skill set… Sh*t, I don’t know what to do.” However, Ham also ended his statement on a positive note on how to approach the game against a generational talent like Nikola Jokic.

He added, “You got to go out there and tryna be as disciplined as possible, aggressive and consistent and have a next play mentality man. Can’t get disappointed, can’t get discouraged… He is a generational type player, so just got to keep swinging.” Moreover, Ham’s unclear strategy may help LeBron James during the game. It may even lead to the superstar picking up the coaching board during the timeouts. The Akron Hammer had shown a snippet of it in the past, as well.

In January 2024, the Lakers grabbed a blowout 134-110 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. With only six minutes left in the clock, James fouled himself out and subbed out for Austin Reaves. While heading to the bench, he called the timeout himself, leaving Ham confused initially. Similarly, LBJ could take control of the proceedings to end the Lakers’ adversity.

Things to look out for in the Lakers vs Nuggets Game 2

Firstly, LeBron James has a lot of critics to shut down, especially Skip Bayless. The veteran analyst called out James for his inefficiency in the fourth quarter of the last game. The superstar could drop only 2 points in the last 9 minutes and those points came late with no effect. This isn’t just about Bayless’ criticism from the last game, but an accusation that has been against him since his Miami Heat days in 2011.

Even Stephen A. Smith recently pointed out James’ poor record in the last quarter. The superstar might respond to these allegations with an explosive run in the last quarter.

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Secondly, a D’Angelo Russell show. In Game 1, the point guard had a poor night shooting ball with a 6-20 FG and 1-9 behind the perimeter. These stats ultimately played a crucial role in the team’s results. Speaking of the upcoming game, D’Lo said, “I know what I’m capable of. Honestly, I’m excited. I’m excited about that.” 

So Russell could also put up his masterclass deep in the game alongside James’ fourth-quarter presence. Will the Lakers end their adversity in Game 2? Unfortunately, they couldn’t, despite their strong efforts. D’Lo shot 7-11 from the arc, recording 23 points and James dropped 12 points in the last quarter and ended the game with 26 points. However, he missed a wide open three-pointer in the second last possession of the game, which eventually cost the game.