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Denver Fans Pissed Nuggets Let Lakers, LeBron Live Another Day

The Nuggets' relaxation level was positively post-coital.
April 28, 2024
Image: Nuggets coach Michael Malone during postgame press conference
Head coach Michael Malone looked glum after the Denver Nuggets' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 27. Denver Nuggets via YouTube

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After the Denver Nuggets dominated the Los Angeles Lakers in game three of the 2023-2024 NBA playoffs, TNT commentator and renowned Round Mound of Rebound Charles Barkley offered a visual prediction of the squad's next match-up by dramatically sweeping the studio floor. But his broom stayed in the closet on April 27, when the LeBron James-led Lake Show avoided elimination by way of a 119-108 victory.

The win was actually less of a triumph by one of the league's all-time greats than a gift from the Nuggets. And while Denver's generosity didn't induce panic among fans on social media, it definitely stirred plenty of frustration.

Denver's overconfidence was understandable. Coming into Saturday night's tilt in SoCal, the Nugs had put the "L" in L.A. eleven straight times, including four consecutive victories during their march to the championship last year. Moreover, the Colorado crew had overcome halftime leads and double-digit deficits in their previous trio of meetings, leaving the Lakers alternately looking exhausted (the fourth quarter of game one offered a prime example) and enraged (Jamal Murray's game two buzzer beater caused Anthony Davis to engage in the most petulant mic drop ever).

As such, the body language of the collective Nuggets after the opening tip suggested a level of relaxation that was positively post-coital; they reacted to the Lakers taking another sizable lead during the second frame with a decided lack of urgency. At first, their refusal to get physical with Davis and LeBron on the defensive end seemed like a canny strategy to avoid letting the referees place them in foul trouble, as has happened chronically throughout the series. But because this lethargy extended to their offensive production, they went into halftime in a thirteen-point hole.

The Nuggets weren't worried about this scenario, since they'd been able to surmount similar challenges by way of third-period explosions — but not this time. Nikola Jokić had a couple of astonishing passes (his tap to Michael Porter Jr. was a head-shaking delight) and wound up posting another triple-double (33 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists), but he missed a slew of put-backs at the rim that could have narrowed the gap considerably. Moreover, Murray's shooting woes since coming back from a late-season injury continued (he was 9 for 23 en route to 22 points), Aaron Gordon managed only a seven spot, and the bench was flat-out awful, contributing two buckets total.

That might still have been enough to beat L.A. had the Nuggets exhibited the defensive intensity that had saved them in the past. But this time around, they waited far too long to flip the switch, and even after doing so, they allowed James to get to the rim time and time again during the final minutes; he notched 30 points to go along with 25 from A.D. and 22 from D'Angelo Russell, who'd gone scoreless in game three. The result was the sort of basket-trading that leads to unnecessary losses, and that's precisely what happened.

Granted, Denver has been down this road before. Recall that in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Jokić and company had a chance to sweep the Minnesota Timberwolves but took too long to get serious: They wound up losing in overtime prior to collecting a game-five W in Denver. Nuggets Nation expects a similar outcome on Monday night, when the Lakers return to Ball Arena.

Still, Denver's desultory performance was disappointing in the extreme, and afterward, fans on X didn't hold back, as witnessed by our picks for the twenty most memorable posts — including one wonderful take that somehow conflates the Lakers win with climate change. Thanks for helping to destroy the planet, LeBron!

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Image: Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
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