Is it fair to say now that the Denver Nuggets have the Los Angeles Lakers‘ number? The purple and gold suffered another heartbreaking loss against the Denver Nuggets, pushing their winless run against the defending champions to 10 games. Despite being in a comfortable position in the 3rd Quarter, the Lakers couldn’t hold on to the lead as the Nuggets displayed their championship mentality late in the game. After the Lakers blew a 20-point 2nd half lead, Lakers great James Worthy didn’t mince his words about the team’s display.

The 1988 Finals MVP said, “They (Lakers) lacked killer instinct, (they made) frivolous…. unprofessional basketball plays…in the playoffs of the second game of a team that has your number.”

While LeBron James missed a go-ahead three-pointer with acres of space, Jamal Murray hit a fadeaway walk-off shot at the buzzer to send the Ball Arena into raptures. The Canadian superstar didn’t have the best of games but came alive in the clutch to lead his team to an improbable victory. The Nuggets now boast a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to LA.

Despite having a significant lead, the Lakers could not maintain the intensity they needed throughout the game, especially when the opponent was Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets. While James scored 26 points, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell carried the offensive load in the 1st half. Davis scored 32 points with 11 rebounds, while Russell had 23 points. However, they both contributed to just 16 points combined in the 2nd half as the Lakers only managed to score 40 points in the 2nd half.

That is what led to Worthy calling the Lakers out for lacking the killer instinct to win the game. He wasn’t the only one to point out their mistake, though. Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal was also upset by the team’s loss.

Does Shaquille O’Neal regret his previous claims?

After pointing out the Lakers’ mistakes previously in a segment of Inside the NBA, O’Neal hoped for the team to overcome those and win against the Nuggets. As the Inside Guys discussed the game, O’Neal highlighted their one strategic error to double-team Denver defensively when the Nuggets weren’t shooting well.  “I would question the Lakers… when you’re up 20, why do you double Denver when they’re not shooting well?” O’Neal said.

On the other hand, NFL veteran Shannon Sharpe also criticized James for his three-pointer shot attempt with a lot of time left on the clock. During the live streaming of his podcast, ‘Nightcap,’ Sharpe voiced his frustration and said, “Why would you shoot that shot? Look at what he did in the fourth quarter. Yeah, he hit those two 3s, but he got downhill…. this was demoralizing.” With James’ biggest supporter Sharpe pointing out the reason for the team’s loss and James’ mistake, we get a gist of the frustration among the fans.

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The Lakers will face the Nuggets in Game 3 on Thursday. Do you think the team will be able to recover and win? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.