Start time and TV schedule
Who: flamengo x fluminense:Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
When: 5:30 p.m. PT, Apr 27
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: ABC
Just when we thought the Lakers would be more comfortable at home and get that boost they needed to finally defeat the Nuggets, they let go of the rope in Game 3. flamengo x fluminense:Thursdayās loss was a different version of š²a heartbreak because it was the first time in this series where it felt like the Lakers just flat out gave up. Once again, the defending champions proved they were inevitable.
Maybe the Lakers show a fight to live for another game, but at this point, everyone knows this series is over. Saturdayās game will likely just be a formality, a painful and embarrassing one at that. Itās also the start of an offseason that entails more questions than answers for the purple and gold moving forward.For as much as I want to stay in the present and list down here how the Lakers can bounce back ā likefšlamengo x fluminense: I have šÆbeen doing in my last three previews ā it seems moot at this point because thšØeyāve yet to find a solution for most of their problems in this matchup.
The Lakersā role players flamengo x fluminense:continue to underperform, their offense and defense š¦just canāt keep up with Denverās, losing the rebounding and second-chance opportunities battle continues to hurt them, their second half performancešs leave much to be desired and, oh, I think Aaron Gordon just made another baseline cut to score while I typed this.
Even if I can argue that LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been two of the three best players in this series, itās clear by now that Denver is just better from top to bottom. They play with a system run by players who star in their roles that the Lakers are not equipped to stop. Even if the first two games were winnable for L.A., thereās no denying that thereās a huge talent gap between both teams. The only question left for the Lakers this series is whether or not they want to prolong their agony. Do they want to save face by extending the series only to go back to Denver and end their season there where they will most likely hear āWhoās your daddy?ā chants from the Nuggets crowd? That would be fitting because thatās exactly how their season started. Or do the Lakers approach Saturdayās game like theyāve already booked their flights to Cancun? No matter what they do ā even if LeBron James himself said that ā this is already a lost cause. One that perfectly summarizes a frustrating and wasted season.Notes and Updates
- For the Lakersā injury report, the Lakers list LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) are probable. Anthony Davis (left wrist sprain) and Christian Wood (left knee surgery) are qušeāstionable while Jarred Vanderbilt (right midfoot sprain), Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain) and rookie Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery) remain out.
- As for the Nuggets, Reggie Jackson (left ankle sprain) and Vlatko Cancar (left knee surgery) are out.
- Be sure to come join our Playback stream during the game
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