Getty Nuggets' Jamal Murray guards Lakers' LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James sent a strong message on the Denver Nuggets ahead of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
James said the Nuggets are a “better” team now than the one the Lakers faced in the 2020 Western Conference Finals at the Walt Disney World bubble. The purple and gold won that series in five games.
“They’re better, but they were great then, and they’re great now,” James said on May 14. “Joker has gotten two more years under his belt. Jamal has gotten back to his regular form after the injury. And the rest of those guys are playing exceptional basketball. They’re a really really, really, really good team. Every game, every postseason, every matchup allows you to continue to grow as a franchise, as a team, and they’ve done that. So we come in with the utmost respect for this team.”
The Nuggets are the No. 1 seed in the West. They won 53 games during the regular season and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs and the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals. Denver is undefeated at home in this postseason and has an overall record of 8-3.
LeBron James Predicted to Lead the Series in Free Throws
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey predicted on May 15 that James would lead the Lakers-Nuggets series in free throws. LeBron, who is looking to win his fifth championship and second ring with the LakeShow, is averaging 5.3 free throw attempts in these playoffs.
“Anthony Davis is leading the Lakers in free-throw attempts per game at 5.7. His 83.8 free-throw percentage also tops LeBron’s 76.2. But James is going to sense the moment and an interior defense that struggled for much of the regular season and attack the paint more than he did in the first two rounds,” Bailey wrote. “There’s real value in LeBron’s willingness to defer to playmakers like D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Dennis Schröder. It’s spared him some of the immense workload he’s carried in previous postseason runs.
“But Denver’s offense is a juggernaut when Nikola Jokić is on the floor. And keeping pace may require LeBron to play a bit more like he did in the past. That, in concert with L.A.’s gargantuan lead over the rest of the NBA in free-throw discrepancy, means the Lakers will almost certainly get more trips to the charity stripe. And LeBron will spearhead that advantage.”
James, 38, is averaging 23.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the 2023 postseason while shooting 49.1% from the field, 26.3% from beyond the arc and 76.2% from the free-throw line. The four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP has a 42-22 record in the conference finals during his stellar career.
Draymond Green Thinks the Lakers Will Beat the Nuggets in 6 Games
Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green said on the May 14 episode of his podcast that the Lakers would beat the Nuggets in six games.
“It is going to be on the Lakers to, you either gotta stop Joker from passing or stop him from scoring,” Green said. “The easier one to do is stop him from getting assists. Can’t allow him to get both. If he gets both, you lose. It’s very simple. Denver ready, man. I think Denver is ready. Like Denver taking that next step. They doing it. We watching it. But I think we’re gonna have a rerun of 2020.
“I think the Lakers will take it. I got the Lakers. I got the Lakers in six, closing out at home in six. That is my prediction. That’s what I’m rolling with. And I’m sticking to it.”
“I got the Lakers closing out at home in 6”
—@Money23Green previews the Western Conference Finals: t.co/oPdL7311sM
Game 1 is on May 16 in Denver.