Los Angeles Lakers had a 20-point lead against the reigning champions Denver Nuggets in the second game of the first round of the playoffs. But despite the lead, they didn’t hold the game by the scruff of the neck and Nuggets did what they do best.
Jamal Murray scored the match-winning buzzer shot to help his team take a 2-0 lead in the series with a 101-99 win on Monday. The Lakers’ veteran LeBron James admitted they missed a lot of shots at the rim and the offense led to their team’s downfall.
“We generated some great shots,” James said. “We missed a lot of shots at the rim that we’ve been making throughout the course of this season.”
James was 4-for-11 at shots at the rim and the team’s head coach Darvin Ham admitted they could not bring their best offense.
“The film session was very revealing with which side of the ball we struggled at,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “We were great defensively. Offensively, there was a lot of shots we wish we could have back.”
A frustrated Anthony Davis had said after the loss, “We have stretches where we just don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.”
However, Darvin Ham defended his coaching staff.
“I mean, I just think sometimes when plays don’t turn out the way you think they should, then the frustration sets in a little bit,” Ham said. “But I don’t think it’s [from] us not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff. We pride ourselves, whether it’s a practice, a shootaround, a film session, a game or whatever, we pride ourselves on being highly efficient and organized. I just chalk that up to being frustrated. It’s an emotional game, the way it ended and all of that.
“But I’ll agree to disagree on that one.”
Ham said it is crucial to stick to their plans despite two losses and not be too desperate to veer off the track.
“You have to understand why you failed at something,” Ham said. “It’s not just, ‘We failed, let’s scrap the whole plan and go this way.’ No. You have to understand why things went the way they went.”
The third game of the series will be played on Thursday.
