The Los Angeles Lakers came up short in Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, falling into a 2-0 hole in the Western Conference Finals. It was another quiet offensive night for Lakers star LeBron James, who tied Austin Reaves with a team-high 22 points.
LeBron has only scored 30 points once during the playoffs, an uncharacteristic run that may be a result of the foot injury he suffered late in the season. He’s had to pace himself at times too, only shooting more than 20 times in three games this postseason.
He neared that total in Game 2, taking 19 shots for 47% shooting from the field. Only one of his makes came outside of the paint and after guarding Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the fourth, James didn’t seem to have the same energy to attack the basket. He instead settled for three 3-pointers in the final 12 minutes, missing all of them and swinging the momentum to Denver.
LeBron’s now missed 19 straight 3-pointers in the fourth quarter this postseason. Even though his deep shot isn’t falling, Reaves expressed confidence in his teammate turning it around.
“Yeah, I mean, he can shoot all he wants. It’s LeBron James. I don’t think anybody bats an eye when he shoots a shot or questions his shot,” he said. “So, yeah, we want him taking whatever he feels comfortable with, just because he’s a winning basketball player for his whole career and that’s all he wants to do, he wants to win.”
Reaves and James have had a well-documented close relationship as his belief in LeBron is no secret. And recent playoff history indicates that the 38-year-old’s shot will start to fall as the series wanes on.
After shooting 19% from deep against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, LeBron shot 33% against the Golden State Warriors. He also had multiple games of at least two 3-point field goals made.
James had an up-and-down 3-point shooting regular season. He had a cold shooting month in December 2022 including a stretch where he shot 4-for-23 and didn’t make a 3-pointer in two straight games. That continued throughout January and February before he suffered an injury. However, he shot 43% over the last five games of the regular season.
The Lakers are a different team when LeBron’s attacking the basket and hitting his 3-pointers. With a must-win Game 3 on Saturday, the Lakers surely hope LeBron’s shot can come around before it’s too late.
Anthony Davis vows to be better after Game 2 struggles
The Lakers were dealt a difficult hand in Game 2 with poor games from Anthony Davis and James. Davis had his worst shooting performance of the playoffs, going 4-for-15 and scoring just 18 points.
It’s a worrying trend that’s developed in the playoffs — Davis following strong offensive games with a poor one. He promised postgame that he will be better in Game 3 on Saturday.
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