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Lakers vs Nuggets Prediction: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Pick Favorite Ahead of Western Finals Rematch

Published 03/02/2024, 8:33 PM EST

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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is just 9 points away from becoming the first-ever NBA player to hit the 40k mark, but the Denver Nuggets might ruin his historic night as always. The defending champs are proving once again why they deserve the championship, and this time they look even scarier than before. Notably, the Lakers are one franchise who have continuously fallen prey to them for quite a while. Ahead of the ultimate match-up, Boston Celtics duo Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce shared a few words about choosing their sides. 

Paul Pierce had some pretty harsh predictions about the LA unit to start. He shared, “I don’t like how the Lakers have been looking lately”, despite their 7-3 run in the last 10 games. Pierce proceeded to recall Nikola Jokic’s staggering triple-double against Draymond Green and the Warriors. He said, “He gave Draymond like 36, 16, and 6. I was like…Draymond an elite defender”. So Pierce believes that if ‘The Joker’ can drop numbers like that on Green, then the Lakers stand no chance against him. He decided, “I got Denver on this one”.

 

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Kevin Garnett believes the same too. The Nuggets are also on a 7-3 run, but they are at the 3rd seed with 41 wins already this season. While this match-up is something to look out for, both the Lakers and Nuggets might miss one of their crucial players. Jamal Murray, who rolled his ankle last game is listed as questionable, and so is LeBron James, who played back-to-back games against the Wizards and the Clippers. 

Anyhow, if the King decides to play, let’s hope the historic night doesn’t get ruined like the last time. 

Amid Paul Pierce’s blunt prediction, can the Lakers put an end to their losing streak against the Nuggets? 

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The last time the two teams played was on Kobe Bryant’s statue inaugural. We all know how the game turned out after Murray and Jokic gave them a tough loss, that too at their home. Anyhow, that is just the latest loss. The Lakers have not defeated the Nuggets since 16th December 2022. They have matched up three times after that in the regular season, and four times in the playoffs. All of them ended on a bad note for LeBron James and Co. 

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The most concerning loss was on 8th February this year. Fans ached for a win, which would have been a fitting tribute to the ‘Black Mamba’. But the Nuggets duo’s late-game heroics left a stinging impact and this would be the perfect time for a redemption. All eyes are on 4x champion James especially, who has two big missions today. 

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Do you think the Los Angeles Lakers can bag a home win? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Rohan Dharmalingam is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports, who extensively covers the Lakers. Be it a multimillion dollar deal breaking or a classic throwback, Rohan has covered the many themes and formats. Most notably, his coverage received a shoutout from the Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal and the rap legend 50 Cent, on Instagram.
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Edited by:

Daniel D'Cruz