The Lakers face the Nuggets on the road with more than just wins and losses hanging in the balance for LA
Things have been bad for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015-16 NBA season—there’s no escaping that. However, things may have reached an all-time low during and after Saturday’s demoralizing 40-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yet the season rolls on as the Lakers travel to the Pepsi Center to take on the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
After the loss in Oklahoma City, it was all about playing the blame game for the Lakers. Some fans pointed to Kobe Bryant having to sit out with a sore shoulder, head coach Byron Scott put the onus on the players for a lack of effort and for being scared, and players such as D’Angelo Russell put it on Scott by saying that the coach’s system really held the team back.
However, the problem with playing the blame game in the NBA is that it rarely reaches a point where there is a viable, sensible, and attainable solution. The only real consequence of playing the blame game is that players become disgruntled, the coach loses his team, and the team is all the worse for having to deal with both sides of it.
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No matter who fans think is at fault in this situation and no matter who is actually as fault, the point for the Lakers right now is that the team is 4-23 with a net rating of -12 points per 100 possessions, a rate that only the Philadelphia 76ers rival in terms of general incompetence.
Though the 11-16 Nuggets haven’t shown much promise of their own and limp into this game with a number of injuries to key players such as rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay and star forward Danilo Gallinari, they still can cause the Lakers problems. Veteran presences in the backcourt such as Jameer Nelson and Will Barton could be problematic and skilled, crafty big men like Joffrey Lauvergne could really put in work on a lumbering big like Roy Hibbert.
The key in this game for the Lakers, though, is going to be showing something more than what they did on Saturday against the Thunder. The lack of fight and effort that the team showed in that game was reprehensible. Russell, Julius Randle, and everyone throughout the roster has to at least play like they care despite all of the issues throughout the organization right now and no matter who’s to blame for them.
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 22
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: Denver, CO
Arena: Pepsi Center
TV Info: TWC Sportsnet, Altitude
Live Stream: NBA League Pass
Radio: Here
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Nuggets -6
Moneyline: Nuggets -235, Lakers +210
O/U: 204
Injury Report
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant (shoulder)—Probable
Denver Nuggets: Darrell Arthur (knee)—Questionable, Danilo Gallinari (ankle)—Questionable, Emmanuel Mudiay (ankle)—Out, Wilson Chandler (hip)—Out, Jusuf Nurkic (knee)—Out
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Prediction
The Nuggets are not a good basketball team and they are not at full strength or even close to it coming into this game. That being said, the Lakers are even worse and have more problems than you could possible mention at one time. Things are good for this team and I don’t expect them to get any better on Tuesday.
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