Facing the Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets seems like a nightmare that the Los Angeles Lakers cannot wake up from. In 2023, the Nuggets were responsible for sweeping the Lakers and ending their season in the Western Conference Finals. This season, the Nuggets are on the brink of doing the same thing they did last year. With their win Thursday night, the Nuggets take a 3-0 series lead over the Lakers. The win also marked the Nuggets' 11th straight win over the Lakers.
Jokic, who was drafted in 2014, has been with the Nuggets long enough to see when things weren't going as good for the team. The Nuggets' success was built over time, and Jokic was a part of that building process. But now it seems like the Nuggets have built a juggernaut of a team. All the winning and success is something that Jokic and his teammates enjoy. It has also become the norm for them.
“I think I said one time that winning is a lifestyle for us,” Jokic said. “It’s really good when you’re winning…everybody is happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system… I was here when we were losing, so I don’t want to go back.”
Nuggets taking commanding 3-0 series lead over Lakers
Fans in Denver may want to find their brooms, as the Nuggets are potentially on the brink of sweeping the Lakers again. The defending champions fell into a double-deficit hole early in Game 3. Playing in front of their home crowd, the Lakers were playing inspired. But the tenacious defending champs never hit the panic button. The Nuggets would end up getting the win, 112-105.
“That is a character win,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said postgame. “The way they [Lakers] started the game, first timeout I told our group ‘That is exactly what I expected.' They came out gangbusters. They played great and had us on our heels, and the crowd was into it.”
Four of the five Nuggets starters would end the night with over 20 points. Aaron Gordon would have a playoff career-high 29 points and 15 points. Nikola Jokic was also close to another triple-double with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists. While last year's Nuggets playoff squad earned a championship, Malone believes this year's squad, which boasts mostly the same players as last season, is even more confident than last year.
“There is a confidence that comes with being a champion. There is a confidence with our starting five,” Malone said. “That starting group, they've been through a lot of wars. They're battle-tested. Every time we get down, we don't panic, we stay the course, and we find a way to get back in the game.”
While the Nuggets are on the brink of sweeping the Lakers, they are still taking things game by game. Regardless of how Game 4 goes, the Nuggets are aware of how difficult of a feat it is to beat a team 11 straight times.
“It's not easy to beat a team 11 times in a row,” said Michael Porter Jr. “It's definitely not easy to beat LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and all those guys 11 times. So credit to our team, our players, and our coaches.”
Game 4 between the Nuggets and Lakers will take place in Los Angeles on Saturday at 6:30 pm MST.
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