The Los Angeles Lakers have made it farther than any pundit predicted they would go as they are set for a Western Conference Finals clash against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. It is a rematch from the 2020 WCF and the Lakers are looking to repeat the same outcome as three years ago.
Denver is certainly going to be a tough challenge. They have been the best team in the league all season long and have rolled over their opponents to get to the Western Conference Finals. But to be fair, the Lakers have been in complete control of their two series as well.
Los Angeles actually has a deeper roster but the Nuggets have the best player in the entire league, so it is going to be very intriguing to watch. Let’s dive into what the starting lineups might look like in Game 1.
Updated Lakers starting lineup for Game 1:
- Dennis Schroder
- D’Angelo Russell
- Austin Reaves
- LeBron James
- Anthony Davis
Darvin Ham made the bold decision to start Dennis Schroder in place of Jarred Vanderbilt in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Vanderbilt has seen his role decrease as his offense has struggled while Schroder has become a prominent member of the rotation.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the Nuggets not being the same small team that the Warriors were in the previous series.
Updated Nuggets starting lineup for Game 1:
- Jamal Murray
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Michael Porter Jr.
- Aaron Gordon
- Nikola Jokic
This is the starting five that the Nuggets have rolled with during the NBA Playoffs and it includes a former Laker in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP doesn’t have to have FOMO like Alex Caruso as he will have a chance to eliminate the team that traded him two years ago.
There were question marks about whether or not Jamal Murray would play as he landed on the injury report with a non-covid illness. However, he is going to suit up on Tuesday.