LeBron James and Anthony Davis stated the goal of their team this season following Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks that they’d not lose two games in-a-row this season. But more than the Lakers stated goal, Tuesday night will be characterized by a showdown between the two best teams in the Western Conference.
At 17-3, the Los Angeles Lakers visit the 13-4 Denver Nuggets who surprisingly have the league’s best defense. Much of the storylines about the Nuggets have been about what they can’t do, but through the first part of the season, they have shown they can absolutely disrupt things defensively, even against the most fluid of offenses.
Jokic also presents a fantastic cognitive challenge for the centers on the Lakers. While Davis is reticent to embrace the role of center, Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee can step in to provide a lot more physical resistance to Jokic. They’ve been great this season, especially Howard. Howard’s activity and athleticism may prove to be the biggest challenge for Jokic, but the Lakers center position must give him activity from the jump.
The Lakers definitely have a lot of different bigs to deal with Jokic but their guard and wing depth will once again be challenged Tuesday. Alex Caruso has played well but his skill may be spread thin against a deep Nuggets squad. Danny Green, Troy Daniels, Rajon Rondo, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can help him attempt to stabilize the backcourt, but this game just like any in the future, won’t be decided on paper.
