The 2024-25 NBA regular season schedule has been released and the path to redemption has been laid out for the Los Angeles Lakers. With key games on holidays and crucial matchups from opening night on, the Lakers will be looking to recover from a disappointing 2023-24 campaign.
One of the primary challenges ahead of Los Angeles in that respect is overcoming the team that's simply had their number: The Denver Nuggets.
Denver, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, has eliminated Los Angeles from the playoffs in two consecutive postseasons. It's been lopsided on paper, with the Nuggets winning eight of the nine games played across those two series.
One of the encounters was in the Western Conference Finals, however, and the other saw the Lakers lead every single game at halftime—but implode in the second half in four of the five outings.
It's been a drastic change from when the two sides met in 2020. Anthony Davis and the Lakers famously contained Jokic and overwhelmed the Nuggets as a team, winning 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals before going on to capture a championship.
With a 1-1 record in Conference Finals, a championship apiece since 2020, and a 2024 series that was far closer than the 4-1 series win for Denver suggests, this is officially a rekindled rivalry.
Lakers must overcome Nuggets to truly move forward
The rivalry between Denver and Los Angeles began long before Davis, LeBron James, Jokic, and Jamal Murray entered the picture. They've played nine different playoff series over the year, with the first coming in 1979—just three years after the Nuggets joined the NBA.
The rivalry has produced unforgettable matchups throughout that window of nearly 50 years, including the iconic battle between Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant in 2009.
Denver and Los Angeles have met in the postseason in all but one decade since Denver became an NBA franchise in the 1970s: The 1990s. That era-spanning rivalry has now become the test of the Lakers' mettle as they look to maximize the remainder of the Davis and James championship window.
In 2024-25, the two sides will meet on four different occasions, with far more than bragging rights being established in anticipation of a potential third consecutive postseason encounter.
Date | Venue |
|---|---|
Saturday, November 23 | Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California) |
Saturday, February 22 | Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado) |
Friday, March 14 | Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado) |
Wednesday, March 19 | Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, California) |
After an early encounter in November, the Lakers and Nuggets will meet three times after the All-Star Break—creating undeniable momentum during the push for the postseason.
Winning in the regular season isn't a guarantee of postseason success, but Los Angeles needs any momentum it can muster against Denver. It's certainly off to a good start in that regard after Davis and James helped Team USA defeat Jokic and Serbia twice this summer.
That includes a clash in the Olympics that sent Team USA to the Gold Medal Game, with James posting 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and a steal.
The hope in Los Angeles is that Davis and James have finally figured out what to do as individuals and teammates against Jokic. Denver is better than Serbia, and Los Angeles isn't quite what the star-studded Team USA obviously is, but every sign of growth is a positive for the Lakers.
If JJ Redick wants to put his stamp on this Lakers team, then proving he can game plan for the Nuggets would be an excellent way to change the culture