Way back in October, when LeBron James was still believing his own words about being patient and the Lakers were struggingling, they handed a previously undefeated Nuggets team their first loss of the season.
That game was many lifetimes ago for this Lakers team, worn down by a disappointing season, injuries and the Anthony Davis news cycle that washed them out. Now the Lakers welcome the Nuggets to Staples Center with their chances of making the playoffs hanging by 1% or less.
And the irony of tonight’s matchup is, a first round matchup against Denver was the dream of most Lakers fans up until their recent skid. Now that the Lakers are 5.5 back of the 8th seed and a solid 6 out of 7th, that too feels like it was years ago.
After losing on Monday to the Spurs, the Nuggets will likely come in highly motivated to get a road win and also help shovel some dirt on the Lakers season. They’re finally fully healthy as a group, getting back starting swingman Will Barton and veteran free agent signing Isaiah Thomas. Even if there’s significant debate whether Thomas will play much in the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Lakers enter tonight’s game without Kyle Kuzma. So if the Lakers are going to escape from tonight with an upset, they’ll need an even more monstrous effort from LeBron James and Brandon Ingram to pull it off.
