The Los Angeles Lakers will be taking on the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, with game one starting later today. The team has been hearing all season about how the Nuggets dominated them in the postseason, giving them a prime opportunity to flip the narrative.
However, the Lakers didn’t perform much better during the regular season, losing each matchup to Denver again. But even with this reality, the Lakers believe in themselves heading into the series despite all the inconsistency that has followed this season.
One reason is they now have point guard Gabe Vincent healthy in the lineup heading into the postseason. Vincent was limited due to injury all season but showed up when it mattered most in the team’s Play-In matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. In fact, he impressed multiple members of LA’s front office with his play.
“Vincent recorded two 3s and a steal, all while chasing around Pelicans sharpshooter CJ McCollum on the perimeter,” Dave McMenamin and Kevin Pelton wrote. “The Lakers outscored the Pelicans by 13 in the eight minutes Vincent played in the quarter. And, after the game, multiple members of the Lakers front office raved to ESPN about the backup guard’s impact.”
While Vincent isn’t a complete game-changer, he does give the Lakers a more physical guard that can take on the role of guarding some of Denver’s perimeter players. Los Angeles didn’t have someone like that last season, potentially giving them an extra edge. Vincent also may have a bone to pick with Denver, having lost to them in the NBA Finals last season while with the Miami Heat.
The Lakers will have to play almost mistake-free basketball if they want to take down the Nuggets, especially in late-game situations. Every single time these teams have matched up lately, the games are close until the final few minutes when Denver goes on a run. For Los Angeles to have a chance, they will need to close out games strong in order to ensure victory.
