The Los Angeles Lakers open up the 2023 Western Conference Finals on the road against the Denver Nuggets.
It is the Lakers’ 23rd appearance in the Conference Finals, the most in NBA history. Of those appearances, the Lakers have faced the Nuggets three times, their second-most common opponent. L.A. has never lost to Denver on their quest for an NBA Finals appearance.
Everyone is available for the Lakers except center Mo Bamba, who is out with a left ankle injury. For Denver, Jamal Murray is listed as questionable with an illness but is expected to play. There are no other injuries for either side.
The Lakers and Nuggets split the season series 2-2, however, all four of those meetings came before the trade deadline — of the 12 Lakers players that saw minutes in the most recent matchup, only Dennis Schroder is still in the rotation.
And of course, these two teams faced off in the 2020 Western Conference Finals. However, just like the regular season meetings, there isn’t much carryover from that series — only LeBron Jamesand Anthony Davis remain from that Lakers team while only Nikola Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter Jr. remain from the Nuggets. One of the Lakers’ best role players, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, now has the same importance for the Nuggets.
The largest difference since that series is the transformation of Jokic. He’s won two MVP awards since and became arguably the most dominant offensive player in the league. Denver has also added more wing defenders such as Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green.
During these playoffs, Jokic is averaging 30 points, 12 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game on 54% shooting from the field and 47% from deep. Jokic torched the Phoenix Suns in the previous series, dropping 53 points in Game 4 then consecutive triple-doubles in Game 5 and 6.
Everything runs through Jokic for the Nuggets, who have the highest offensive rating and efficiency in the playoffs. Denver is outscoring opponents by a whopping 91 points when Jokic is on the court during the 2023 playoffs, second most behind Porter and Gordon. It’s no secret that this is an offensive juggernaut, but the Nuggets are still top-five in defensive rating.
The Lakers’ defense will have to limit Jokic’s effectiveness, a task that’s simply easier said than done. However, if there’s a group that can do it, it might be the Lakers. They’ve made it to the Conference Finals primarily because of their defense, which has the best rating in the playoffs.
Though Davis will match up with Jokic, Darvin Ham indicated he will see different bodies. It will also require a team effort to contain the cutters and shooters that Jokic so easily locates. Screen assists are Jokic’s specialty too — he averages 5.6 per game these playoffs for 13.1 points, the second-most so far. Therefore, the perimeter defenders will have to be glued on their man to eliminate the easy points that come off of Jokic’s handoffs.
The best way to counter his explosive offense is to make Jokic work on defense. The Nuggets will likely hide Jokic on a non-shooter on defense, leading to LeBron possibly hunting Jokic on pick-and-rolls. Look for the Lakers to put Jokic through as many actions as possible on defense to wear him out.
To that point, reports indicate the Lakers will keep Dennis Schroder in the starting lineup over Jarred Vanderbilt in order to add more offense and spacing.
The Lakers are undefeated in Game 1s on the road these playoffs. Continuing that trend puts them in a prime position to upset the No. 1 seed. But, just like the previous two series, any success begins on the defensive end.
Los Angeles Lakers (0-0) vs. Denver Nuggets (0-0)
5:30 p.m. PT, May 16, 2023
Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
TV: ESPN
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Schroder
SG: D’Angelo Russell
SF: Austin Reaves
PF: LeBron James
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Lonnie Walker IV, Wenyen Gabriel
Projected Nuggets Starting Lineup:
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Key Reserves: Jeff Green, Bruce Brown, Christian Braun
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