The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a brutal loss on Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, with Jamal Murray hitting a tough fadeaway over Anthony Davis at the buzzer to secure a 20-point comeback and a 2-0 series lead. The Lakers got a significantly better performance from D’Angelo Russell in Game 2, but it wasn’t enough to stop Murray, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets.
The Lakers led by as many as 20 in the loss and led by 11 going into the final quarter. And as is the case with any tightly contested postseason game, the referees became a factor. One call in particular — affecting Russell and Porter — was routinely debated by the Lakers after the game. Porter made contact with Russell’s face on a drive in the fourth quarter, and a foul was called on the floor.
However, on replay review, the call was overturned and Denver was granted possession despite Porter clearly making contact with Russell’s face. It didn’t take long after the loss for Russell to speak out about the missed call on social media:
That’s a foul we all saw it on national television.
— D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading) April 23, 2024
Russell reiterated this point when he was asked about the Lakers being unable to hold on to the late lead. He believes missed calls contributed toward giving the Nuggets momentum and taking it away from the Lakers.
“The feeling I think was trying not to lose the lead,” Russell said. “We were still aggressive at the same time, we just missed a few shots during that stretch where they were throwing haymakers. It’s as simple as that, but I like where we’re at. I like the chance we gave ourselves. A few questionable calls that really dictated a lot of movements forward, so it is what it is. We all saw it.”
Of course, the entire loss cannot be blamed on one missed call, as the Lakers blew a 20-point lead and a double-digit fourth quarter lead. Their offense stalled entirely in the final six minutes of the game and were only kept afloat by high difficulty makes from LeBron James.
So while Russell is right to be upset about the missed call, the Lakers have to do way more work to determine what went wrong in Game 2 as they prepare for the return to Los Angeles.
Jarred Vanderbilt eyeing Lakers return in Game 3
The purple and gold have shown they can hang with the Nuggets, but their late-game execution has done them in one too many times now.
With the series shifting to Los Angeles, the team could be getting a major boost as Jarred Vanderbilt is reportedly eyeing a return as soon as Game 3.
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