Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had a lengthy answer on what has changed about the Los Angeles Lakers.
Over the last few seasons, the Denver Nuggets have had no problems in dealing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Be it the regular season or the playoffs, the Nuggets have given constant nightmares to the Lakers Nation.
However, after going winless in last season’s series, the Lakers have walked away with a 2-2 record vs the Nuggets in the 2024-25 NBA season.
The Lakers’ most recent 120-108 win over their rivals was propelled by a huge first-quarter performance from Luka Doncic. On top of that, Austin Reaves aided in closing out the game with an important run in the third quarter.
Despite Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray being sidelined, Denver fans expected a competitive game from their team. After all, they were coming off the heels of a dominant win over the Golden State Warriors.
Unfortunately, head coach Michael Malone’s team couldn’t pull off another miracle. After the game, Malone gave a lengthy answer about the new-look Lakers.
“Different players, different coaches. There’s a lot of change within the Lakers… They’re a different team. JJ [Redick] is coaching them and his fingerprints are all over this team.
“They’ve added another MVP candidate in Luka and the most amazing thing I think about that trade is just how the Lakers defense has gone almost to the top of the charts.
They play small, they play athletic, they play a lot of versatile guys and they’re just really disruptive on that end of the floor. You have to be able to counter that.”
The Nuggets had no answer for the Lakers, and coach Malone’s postgame comments suggest JJ Redick deserves a lot of credit for that.
At this point in the season, every game holds utmost important for every Western Conference team not named the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As for the Nuggets, they have fallen to the fourth spot in the standings following the Lakers’ loss. They could have further plummeted if it weren’t for the Memphis Grizzlies‘ recent struggles, who are now on a two-game losing streak.
Once the Jokic-Murray duo is back, they will have to carry a majority of burden to ensure that the team secures a top-six finish. While other Nuggets players will also play a critical role in the process, none will have as much impact as Jokic and Murray.
