Under Maintenance

We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.

Sports Media

2023 Western Conference Finals Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Western Conference Finals Lakers Nuggets
(Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

2023 Western Conference Finals Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

For the third time since the 2008-09 season, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers will face off in the Western Conference Finals. The two previously met in 2009 and 2020, with the Lakers winning both prior matchups. While the 2020 Bubble was only a few years ago, a lot has changed for both of these teams since.

During the 2022-23 regular season, the Nuggets and Lakers split the season series 2-2. The home team won all four matchups. To get to the WCF the No. 1-seeded Nuggets beat the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Suns in six games. The No. 7-seeded Lakers needed one more game to beat the No. 6-seeded Golden State Warriors in seven games. 

The big storyline in this series is the star power facing off. On one side of things, there is the best big man the NBA has seen in a long time in Nikola Jokic, and a healthy Jamal Murray. On the other one of the best players to ever grace the hardwood is LeBron James and his sidekick Anthony Davis. James and Davis are the only two players from the Lakers team that beat the Nuggets in 2020 and are proving they can still go toe to toe with any duo in the league. 

Another talking point in this WCF is the great offense of Denver going against the great defense of Los Angeles. The Nuggets have the No. 1 offensive rating in the playoffs while the Lakers have the No. 1 defensive rating. When the series tips-off on Tuesday, May 16, one of these will have to give.

GAMEDATEMATCHUPTIMETV
Game 1Tuesday, May 16Los Angeles @ Denver8:30 p.m. ETESPN
Game 2Thursday, May 18Los Angeles @ Denver8:30 p.m. ETESPN
Game 3Saturday, May 20Denver @ Los Angeles8:30 p.m. ETABC
Game 4Monday, May 22Denver @ Los Angeles8:30 p.m. ETESPN
Game 5*Wednesday, May 24Los Angeles @ Denver8:30 p.m. ETESPN
Game 6*Friday, May 26Denver @ Los Angeles8:30 p.m. ETESPN
Game 7*Sunday, May 28Los Angeles @ Denver8:30 p.m. ETESPN

Now, let’s have a deeper look at each team, and dissect what key questions arise in this series.

What to know about the Denver Nuggets:

Notable starters:

Rotational players:

The best player in the 2022-23 playoffs has been Nikola Jokic. “The Joker” has been averaging 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 9.7 assists in 11 games played this postseason. Those numbers are absurd, but it is really just what the two-time MVP is capable of doing. He not only plays better but also helps everyone around him play better.

That is in large part due to him having the support staff around him for the first time since the 2020 bubble. Jamal Murray is back to full health and dropping 25.9 points along with 6.5 assists — that one-two combo has the Nuggets playing some of their best basketball of the season. 

Alongside those two are Michael Porter Jr and Aaron Gordon. Porter has not been as good as he was in the regular season but still has the occasional game where he will hit five three-pointers and get 20-plus points. Gordon has been a defensive stud tasked with guarding the opponent’s best player, doing a good job against Phoenix’s Kevin Durant in the second round.

The difference between this Nuggets team and that of the past few years is the help off the bench from the role players. Bruce Brown has been electric on both ends of the court and is proving to be the best free-agent pickup the Nuggets have made in years. Another player that is thriving off the bench has been Christian Braun, with the rookie quickly becoming a key player for the Nuggets off the bench with his defensive awareness and the occasional offensive output that energizes the team.

What to know about the Los Angeles Lakers:

Notable Starters:

Rotational Players:

If the Lakers need any extra help then it’s the perfect time for LeBron James to be playing his best basketball of the season. In the pivotal Game 7, “King James” went off for 30-9-9 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Anytime that the second-best NBA player in history is playing at that level, opponents must beware. He has proven time and time again that he is capable of taking any team he is on to the NBA Finals. 

Paired with him is Anthony Davis, who had himself a great series against the Warriors in large part to there not being anyone capable of guarding him. Don’t let that take anything away from AD. He is a dangerous post threat on offense and a scary rim protector on the defensive end.

The rest of the starters have had their moments in the spotlight with both Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell playing well. The two Laker guards are averaging over 15 points this postseason and have shown they can take over a game when called upon. 

The bench has been inconsistent at times but has stepped up when called upon. Look at Lonnie Walker IV who scored 12-plus points off the bench three times in the Warriors series. An advantage the Lakers have is they find contact and get to the free-throw line. Of the four teams remaining, the Lakers have the most free throw attempts per game with just over 24 trips a night.

Questions?

1.) How well will Anthony Davis be able to guard Nikola Jokic?

As mentioned above Davis thrived against the small-ball Warriors averaging 21.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. Against the Nuggets, however, he will have someone to stay on and guard for all 48 minutes in Jokic. As good as Jokic has been in recent years, Davis has seemed like one of the few players that can stay with the former MVP. 

Over his career, Davis has held Jokic to just 18.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. However, he has not held Jokic under 23 points in any of their last six matchups. With Jokic playing as confident as ever this could be a worry for the Lakers, who found a way to slow him down in 2020 with the help of physical bigs in Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. Without any help off the bench, it will be up to Davis to slow down “The Joker” night in and night out.

2.) Will The Nuggets’ role players be able to outplay the Lakers’ role players?

As good as James and Davis have been, the role players for the Lakers have been key to getting to the Western Conference Final. Between Reaves, Russell, Schröder and others the Lakers have the depth to match up with that of the Nuggets. When the bench comes in it will be up to Brown and Braun to not let the Nuggets fall behind in the non-Jokic minutes.

3.) Will the Lakers feel fatigued?

While the Nuggets have had a relatively easy trip to the Western Conference Finals by beating Minnesota in five and Phoenix in six, the Lakers have had to fight through a six-game series against Memphis and a seven-game series against Golden State to get here.

So far in the playoffs, four of the Lakers starters have been averaging over 31 minutes per game. This may take a toll when facing the Nuggets at 5,280 ft elevation. In an interview yesterday, LeBron mentioned that playing at altitude is real and players do feel the effect of it. While he has the experience of playing deep into the postseason, not many other Laker players have, so this is something to keep an eye on.

Prediction for Nuggets vs. Lakers: Nuggets in 7

When I started writing this preview I put down Lakers in 7, but I have since changed my mind once again. Home court is going to be key for both teams and I give a slight advantage to the Nuggets in that category. I also think this is the most complete Denver team since I can remember with everybody clicking together. But it is impossible to count out a team led by LeBron James. With that in mind, I may switch my pick in the hours leading up to Game 1 but for now, I’m sticking with Nuggets in 7.

***

Check out the Vendetta Twitch!!

SHOP at the Vendetta Store!

SUBSCRIBE to the Vendetta YouTube!!

<!-- Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
<div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-154"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Popular Past Stories

<!-- Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
<div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-136"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
<!-- Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
<div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-135"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->

recommended stories

Josh Donaldson

Josh Donaldson To Retire After 13 Seasons In MLB

Josh Donaldson To Retire After 13 Seasons In MLB Third baseman and former AL MVP Josh Donaldson is set to…

Read More
Kelly Olynyk Raptors

Kelly Olynyk, Raptors agree to two-year extension

Kelly Olynyk, Raptors agree to two-year extension Roughly a month after acquiring him from the Utah Jazz ahead of the…

Read More
Lindy Ruff

Devils Fire Lindy Ruff

Devils Fire Lindy Ruff I guess I’m not totally surprised that a coach who just got fired two weeks after…

Read More
Russell Wilson

Broncos Part Ways with Russell Wilson

Broncos Part Ways with Russell Wilson Pretty major news today as the Broncos have announced they will be moving on…

Read More
<!-- Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->
<div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-134"> </div>
<!-- End Ezoic - Single Blog Page - Middle - mid_content -->