NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets September 15, 2025

NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets September 15, 2025 | 2025 NBA Season Live 2K

Heat. Heat. N. And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachimura. The guard pair will be Donic and Reeds. And it’s Aon in at center. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three, the small forward. GA, we’ve got a marquee match up in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Yic. No good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. Even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that and it doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup. Off a very nice feed. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. An passes to Eightton and a wideopen look for Hachimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray and again Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima to the paint and taken away by Johnson. In the corner, it’s Brown. And again, Denver no good. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hachimura, no good. Excellent coverage defensively, making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. the feel LeBron has for the game. Unreal. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over, and GA, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. And coach, one thing that David Adelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season. So, improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Brownies checked in for Denver. And he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. Four on the shot clock to stop the run and it’s wide right. It’s off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two of three here to start out the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Don’s handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Joic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. on the ground. Brown against James and here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. This one’s coming. Heat. Heat. Get over. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game. Dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching. A perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Fires the three. Joic. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless pass to Joic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five tries. The competitive nature of Joic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donic. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor, but we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, Ally. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the putback. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicole Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s Hatton. The shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Peyton Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles, Vanderbilts checked in for Hatchima and Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardaway Jr. Primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nuggets shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. Pass to Joic. Now Hardway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from Jeep. A goating shot for Hardaway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, goes back up and the rejection by Eaton. Access there denied by Deandre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses, right? We see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Joic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation. And not just in it, at the top of it, his ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now, here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it, guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively and this is his second trip to the line in the game. Finished the season last year around 80% from the striker. two shots and he makes the first and the Nuggets making a change here. Pickicket’s check in. And Yogic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Picket. And it’s Lravia with the rebound. So it’s the Lakers now. Pass to Cleba at the elbow. Donic. over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a mere 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Joic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart. And the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13. Outside Hardway, the 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Larabia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a standstill. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside defending. Shot clock at two. Hardway no good. Good D got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Donich passes to Lavia. 6second difference between shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donic gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Joic. And he got that one up in time, but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers. They got back to Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Lorravia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15. on the wing. Hardaway. Valenunis sets a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 0 or two from deep here in the second. Baseline try and it’s in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. pass to Watson. Here’s Valenjunis. Now Murray uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length. You know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Smart. Now here’s Clea guarded by Valenunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three. He scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Valenunis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardaway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off and finish off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA, right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reads the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will change position here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Vincent. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Lefor side. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Yokic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicoola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Yeah. Do it in terms of motivation. what they say to you. Hey man all day at your bank in a hall of fame like this is going to take patience work check maint You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real surface. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always like this patience. Work constant check steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real service. Do you know your purpose? Eighton. He’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reeves. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic pass to Vanderbilt. Lock at six. Gette with a wideopen look. And again, the Lakers no good. Time in space on the perimeter, but he couldn’t capitalize. Well, the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown and and he has rewarded their faith. He has developed so nicely, Kevin. He certainly has. Probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough and he’s all about winning. Oh, you got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. Here’s Joic. He’s got 14. Johnson in the corner. Fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic looking for he gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that for three. Murray. It’s held in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got five rebounds tonight. And it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He danced the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Aton. Back to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Murray. James outside. And here’s Donic from the arc. And it’s Joic with the rebound. Joic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13. And it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron. Breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple. Outside. Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in for Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Aton. And Vincent subbed in for Dalton. Connect. One shot. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Joic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura the pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Donic with a screen on Brown from past the arc. Donic no good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game for three. Donic against Joic and the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves is checked in for Vincent. Inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchimal’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets the screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. Gets it to go from beyond the arc. And the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. James looking it over. Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. A slam by Joic. Well, run into Yokic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all. And he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah. And the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. A lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown. And it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15 in the corner. It’s Brown. Johnson outside gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray. And it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that nice gold streak. Up top, Hatche Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eaton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves the pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Mur. And here’s Yic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eightton against Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James. Pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. You can’t play better defense than that. Patrolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against the talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends, steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown. And it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. He’s got a good handle. Excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds eight. Hatimura against Gordon with the shot and another basket for the Lakers. Offensively, defensively, they are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for them right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Good. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the D. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arc. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron and James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from Aton there. Pass to Brown. a switch. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look. Crate. The Nuggets trail by 17. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. And Joic with the basket on the assist by Murray. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this. Now, here’s Donic. 16 points for him. Johnson against Hatchimic with a screen on Donic for three. Murray. They get it back and that one drops. Gordon’s got five points now in the quarter. And offensive rebounding really about timing and positioning there. Gordon using both to burn the D. A screen on Johnson. Here’s James. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got 14 rebounds tonight. Going after Murray outside. Gordon the pass to Johnson wants to get it to Donic and does. Hatimura finds Donic. Six to shoot. He’s off on that one. Good defense by Joic. Reeves against Brown and Joic slams it in. Yeah, he’s not exactly a highlight reel dunker, but you love to see Joic throw it down. Anjich passes to LeBron to the middle. Joic with the steel and let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Allen. Thank you guys. Cameron Johnson stays even. He said, “I just try to come in and do my job every game, no matter what that looks like.” And as somebody who shoots a lot of threes, some days can be better than others. So you just ride the waves while you can and focus on that next play, the next shot, and your results. They’ll be the results. Back to you. Thank you, Ally. Now, here is Himemer. He’s got nine. Can they get it? Oh, down the hatch it goes from LeBron from way back there. I mean, LeBron’s just showing off now. Pass to Brown. Denver passing it around. Here’s Joic. Lets it go with a three. That’s in. That’s his fifth field goal. He’s shooting a hot 71%. 5 for seven. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the game, they had a 19-point lead. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take this chance to talk to his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So Denver ends up going with a whole new group, big group substitution. ition here for the Lakers. Maxi Clea, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia has checked in for James. And Marcus Smart is sub in for Luca Donic. And here is Los Angeles now. Nine-point game. Smart deciding where to go with it. Lock at six. Here’s Reeds and it’s Denver with the rebound. Watson with it. Nothing on the board. Brown. The pass to Hardaway. There’s the screen. A three. Here’s Naja. And there’s a nice one-handed slam. I I like the dish from Hardway Jr. proving once again he’s a team first player. Reeves outside with the screen. Reeves against Hardway. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. Let’s go. Greavves gets the bucket. Eight points for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by nine. Brown outside. Pass to Alen Junis. Got him with the bump fake but couldn’t finish. Los Angeles has gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half. And Clea slams it in. Great pass by Smart. On time, on target. Denver’s gone four of six from three-point land since the start of the second half. And here’s Valenunis. Pass to Hardaway. A step back shot here off the left rim and up. Well, when they’re playing off you, you have to make them pay. And he couldn’t. Reeves outside. Now Labraia in the corner. Vanderbilt with it. Here’s Smart and it’s off from three-point range. Nugget shooting at a decent 44% clip here. 8sec difference between the shot clock and the game clock outside. Hardway. The shots good. Brown making the play. Hardway has got nine. Silky smooth with that jumper. Hardway Junior’s mechanics are what make him so deadly. Hardway against Reeves. over Hardaway and the last shot before the buzzer is off. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re feeling very confident shooting the ball with great efficiency and dictating the pace. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. and a chance right now to show you our State Farm assist of the game. And I’m glad this was the pick because I love this pass. Such a great dish. That’s what I call court vision. Yeah, he puts that pass right on the money and made things look easy for his teammates. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. So the Lakers five right now. Jake Larabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Marcus Smart. Then it’s Austin Reed. And it’s Cleba in at the five. Watson for three. Hands it from downtown. You know, Jamal Murray has no problem being the facilitator when he sees open teammates. Smart on the wing. And there’s the try. Plays it up and banks it in. And the Lakers lead by seven. Well, you love the unselfishness. Makes the next pass and enables his team to capitalize on the possession. Murray finds Brown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Labraia. Reeves with a screen on Hardway. Here’s Vanderbilt. Smart with the ball. Now Valenunis defending good on the three-point shot. Well, with everything else Smart does on the floor, his three-point shooting is really a bonus. Now, Hardaway Junis, that’s a screen for Hardway to the paint. Shot from Z. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Well, look, Valenunis is a big guy, so it’s easy to understand why he gets fouled this close to the basket. The first free throw is good and a bruising, fundamentally sound big man. Valenunis is a throwback. More importantly, he’s willing to play whatever role is asked of him. Gabe Benson, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Alan Junis hits them both. I’m sure they don’t want to send him to the line. That has to be in their scouting report. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with a screen on Murray. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Clea over in the corner. Vincent and there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. Joic has checked in for Yonas Valenus. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Luka Donic comes in for Vincent. The Nuggets trail by eight. Murray outside. Pass to Joic. Joic makes it look easy inside. Well, what really makes Joic special inside isn’t just his size, but his gracefulness. And JJ Reick is called timeout. He’s not taking any chances and wants to huddle him up right away. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ali Leforce on the sidelines. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reic was going over with his team. He said, “This is who we are. This is the pace. Don’t let up.” He said, “It doesn’t matter if they go on a run. What matters is how we respond.” They plan to respond with a fury, guys. Allie, thank you so much. For those just joining us, fourth quarter here. We’re just over 2 and 1/2 minutes into it. Pass to Cleveland. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Here’s Kak. It’s hauled in by Joic. Well, the analytics don’t like it, but if the defense is giving it up, I like that shot selection despite the miss. Murray in the pass to Joic. Six on the shot clock. Denver needs to get off a shot. Brown no good. Lakers leading by six and we’re about 3 and 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter and every miss finds its way to his hands. What an impressive performance. Yeah, he’s been a beast on the glass. A monster night for him. Joic passes to that’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Joic has got his seventh assist in the game. Donic looking it over. Pass to Labia. sinks the triple and the Lakers lead by seven. Nice read sets his teammate up. You like how they’re sharing the ball. Murray the pass to Joic. Fires from deep and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Well, that’s Murray answering right back from the perimeter. You have to love his competitive nature. Arabia passes to Donic and the double up. Donic. Vanderbilt misses. Denver’s gone two for two from three-point land to start the fourth quarter. Hardway kicks to Brown. Pass to Joic. Now Watson, a three ball and again it’s the Nuggets from Jeep. Yeah, this offense is rolling. They’ve been assertive, but they’re also playing under control. Yeah. You know, I like how they’re not relying on just one guy to get it done. They’re sharing the ball and keeping the defense. Guess connect. No good. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 12 to3 run. Hardway dishes to Brown. Pass to Joic. Joic sets the screen from back to Joic. That’s in there. Murray with the assist. Joic has got delayed. Up to one now for Denver. for Los Angeles. They’ve gone three of seven from the four in the fourth. That’s a 42% mark in the court and stolen by Murray. Brown the pass to Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s connect. Pass to Donic over in the corner. Larabia and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. And guys, point of emphasis for the league is to really crack down on illegal screens. Yeah, and yet we still see it a lot. It’s a tough thing to police. Cameron Johnson’s checked in for Brown. And then for the Lakers, Hayes checked in for Maxi Cleba and James in for Jake Clarabia. Now here’s Murray to the inside. Yic. It’s rebounded by Hayes. The Lakers trail pass to connect. Here’s Donic. He’s covered by Murray. Shot clock at six. Vanderville gets a wideopen look. Again, the missed by the Lakers. Nuggets have gotten into a pretty good groove going six and 10 here in the final quarter. Murray, the pass to Johnson. And here’s Yic. Murray outside. Hangs home the trifecta. Murray’s got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for the Nuggets. Well, you got to love that play. Murray gets to his spot and the pass is right there. LeBron dishes to Donic. Back to LeBron. That one’s off. Still out of sink. The Nuggets leading by four. Murray right side. Watson finds Joic. Fades. It’s hauled in by LeBron. Lakers trail by four. Anage outside. Pass to connect. The shots good on the assist by Donic. You have to stay attached to connect. He’s a terrific offball threat. And we’ve got a timeout from David Adelman. Clearly, he’s got something his players need to hear. And immediately Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Aaron Gordon, he’s checking in for Payton Watson. And Christian Brown subbed in for Tim Hardaway Jr. The Lakers also making some changes. Aton, he’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchima comes in for Vanderbilt. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Dalton Connect. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 17-6 run. Murray finds Johnson. Back to Murray. Joic sets the screen for Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. Lakers have gone four of 10 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Brown against Reeves and Atachi Murray in the corner and that won’t go. Missing the go-ahead bucket and so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They lead by one and the foul called on Austin Reeves. That’s his first foul. Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Murray. Tight defense on him and it’s Murray with the jam. Well, there’s no question Murray can go get one for you when you need it most. Lakers trail by three. It’s James. James absolutely owning the inside. And when you need a big score, you want LeBron to get the ball. And that’s why Joic with a screen on Dunic. Murray. Joic. He’s off from three. And so James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Dotic outside. Here’s Hachimura. Duch outside to take the lead. Gordon with the rebound. Nuggets have got a pretty good rhythm going offensively, shooting eight of 15 for the quarter. Johnson surveying the floor. Stolen by Reeves. 156 left to play here in the fourth. Now Hachimura and here is James back at six. Now Don and that will go missing the go ahead basket Johnson outside now Murray Johnson outside here’s Yic for the rebound to take the lead. Joic pulls it down. Might be time for a little different approach. This shot hasn’t been fallen here in the second half. Yogic draws another fires a three-pointer. Good. big time basket at a big time moment. Yeah. Don’t you just love to see a player embrace that kind of pressure? And JJ Reic calls timeout here. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James and taken away by Johnson. And so they foul intentionally. Donic against Murray. Here is Gordon. And they double up. Murray. Jacks up a three. And down goes the three. They’re in total command of this game. with time starting to run out. Yeah, and at this point the focus is take care of the ball. No needless fouls and no threes. Gordon with the rebound and they are really racking up the assists in this one and their team chemistry is evident. These guys enjoy playing with one another. So, the Nuggets win it. It was a fantastic ball game and they did a great job making sure it didn’t get away from them late. Yeah. I mean, they faced some challenges but really held firm when they needed to on both ends. Just effective in And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachimura. The guard pair will be Donich and Reeds. And it’s Aon in at center. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three, the small forward. GA, we’ve got a marquee matchup in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Joic no good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. Even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that and it doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feet. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. Anage passes to Aton and a wide open look for Hatimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray. And again, Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima. To the paint and taken away by Johnson in the corner. Brown. And again, Denver no good. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hachimura, no good. Excellent coverage defensively. Making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. here for LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James and that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. The feel LeBron has for the game. Unreal. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over and GA, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. And coach, one thing that David Adelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season, so improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Brown has checked in for Denver and he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. Four on the shot clock to stop the run. And it’s wide right. hits off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two or three here to start off the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Donic handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Yic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown against James. And here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip, showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. That’s what heat Get over this. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game. Dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching, a perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Dunic. Fires the three. Joic. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless. Pass to Yic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five tries. The competitive nature of Joic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donic. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Go. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor, but we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, Ally. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the foot. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicole Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s Aton. The shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Ben Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles. Vanderbilt’s checked in for Hatchima. And Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardway Jr. primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nugget shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. Pass to Joic. Now Hardaway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from deep. A go-to shot for Hardway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, goes back up and the rejection by Eaton. Access there denied by DeAndre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses. Right. We see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Yic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation. and not just in it, at the top of it. His ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now, here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it. Guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively? And this is his second trip to the line in the game. finished the season last year around 80% from the striker. Two shots and he makes the first and the Nuggets making a change here. Pickets checked in. And Joic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Pickicket. And it’s Labraia with the rebound. So it’s the Lakers now. Pass to Clea at the elbow. Donic over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a mere 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Joic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart and the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13. Outside Hardway, the 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Labradia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a stand still. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside defending. Shot clock at two. Hard away. No good. Good D. Got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Anch passes to Labraia. 6second difference between the shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donuch gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Yic. And he got that one up in time, but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us, folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers. They got back to Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Loravia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15 on the wing. Hardaway. Valenjunis. That’s a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 02 from deep here in the second. Baseline try and it’s in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. Pass to Watson. Here’s Valenunis. Now Murray, uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length. You know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now, here’s Smart. Now here’s clever guarded by Valenunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three. He scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Valenunis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardaway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off and finish off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA, right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reeds the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will retain possession here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Benson. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Leor Sports. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Yic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Oh yeah, I remember you always what they said to you. Hey man all day that you pay in a hall of fame like this is going to take patience constant check maint You might lose homies. You might make friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real surface. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always like this. It’s going to take patience. Work constant check up steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real service. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. Aton. He’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reed. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic pass to Vanderbilt. Lock at six. Connect with a wide open look. And again, the Lakers no good. Finding space on the perimeter, but he couldn’t capitalize. Well, the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown and and he has rewarded their faith. He has developed so nicely. Seven. He certainly has. Probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough. And he’s all about winning. Oh, you got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. Here’s Joic. He’s got 14. Johnson in the corner. Fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic looking for Aton. He gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that. For three. Murray. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Eighton’s got five rebounds tonight. And it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He dents the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Aton. Back to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Murray. James outside. And here’s Donic from the arc. And it’s Joic with the rebound. Joic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13 and it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron. Breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple. Outside Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in for Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Eightton and Vincent subbed in for connect. Nice shot. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Jokic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura the pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Donic with a screen on Brown from past the ark. Donic. No good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game for three. Donic against Joic. And the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves is checked in for Vincent. Stay there. Stay there inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchima’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets the screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. Gets it to go from beyond the arc. And the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. James looking it over. Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. A slam by Joic. Well, run into Joic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James Cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all and he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah, and the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. a lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown and it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James. Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15. In the corner, it’s Brown. Johnson outside. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray. And it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that nice gold streak. up top. Hatchy Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eightton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves the pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Murray. And here’s Joic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eighton against Yic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James. Pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. Well, you can’t play better defense than that, patrolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends. Steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now, here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown and it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. He’s got a good handle. Excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds it. Hatimura against Gordon with a shot and another basket for the Lakers. Offensively, defensively, they are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for him right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Thank you. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the D. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arc. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron, a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron. And James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from there. Pass to Brown. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s a six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look. The Nuggets trail by 17. Go. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. And Joic with the basket on the assist by Murray. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this. Now here’s Donic. 16 points for him. Johnson against Hatchim to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic for three. Murray, they get it back and that one drops. Gordon’s got five points now in the quarter. And offensive rebounding really about timing and positioning there. Gordon using both to burn the D. Eightton a screen on Johnson. Here’s James. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got 14 rebounds tonight. Going after Murray outside. Gordon. The pass to Johnson. Get it to Donic and does. Hatimura finds Donic. Six to shoot. He’s off on that one. Good defense by Joic. Reeves against Brown. And Joic slams it in. Yeah, he’s not exactly a highlight reel dunker, but you love to see Joic throw it down. Aned passes to LeBron to the middle. Joic with the steel and let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Howard. Thank you guys. Cameron Johnson stays even. He said, “I just try to come in and do my job every game, no matter what that looks like.” And as somebody who shoots a lot of threes, some days can be better than others. So, you just ride the waves while you can and focus on that next play, the next shot, and your results. They’ll be the results. Back to you. Thank you, Ally. Now, here is Hetimer. He’s got nine. Can they get it? Oh, down the hatch it goes from LeBron from way back there. I mean, LeBron’s just showing off now. Pass to Brown. Denver passing it around. Here’s Joic. lets it go with the three. That’s him. That’s his fifth field goal. He’s shooting a hot 71%. 5 for seven. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the game, they had a 19-point lead. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take this chance to talk to his guy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So Denver ends up going with a whole new group. Big group substitution here for the Lakers. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia is checked in for James. And Marcus Smart is subbed in for Luca Donic. And here is Los Angeles now. Nine-point game. Smart deciding where to go with it. clock at six. Here’s Reeds and it’s Denver with the rebound. Watson with it. Nothing on the board. Brown. The pass to Hardaway. There’s the screen. The three. Here’s Naji. And there’s a nice one-handed slam. I like the dish from Hardaway Jr. proving once again he’s a team first player. Reeves outside. Lorabia with the screen. Reeves against Hardway. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. Let’s go. Reeves gets the bucket. Eight points for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by nine. Brown outside. Pass to Denunis. Got him with the bump fake but couldn’t finish. Los Angeles has gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half. And Clea slams it in. Great pass by Smart. On time, on target. Denver’s gone four of six from three-point land since the start of the second half. And here’s Valenunis. Pass to Hardaway. A step back shot here off the left rim and up. Well, when they’re playing off you, you have to make them pay. And he couldn’t. Reeves outside. Now Larabia in the corner. Vanderbilt with it. Here’s Smart. And it’s off from three-point range. Nugget shooting at a decent 44% clip here. 8sec difference between the shot clock and the game clock outside. Hardway. The shot’s good. Brown making the play. Hardway has got nine. Silky smooth with that jumper. Hardway Junior’s mechanics are what make him so deadly. Hardway against Reeves over Hardaway. And the last shot before the buzzer is off. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re feeling very confident shooting the ball with great efficiency and dictating the pace. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. and a chance right now to show you our State Farm assist of the game. And and I’m glad this was the pick because I love this pass. Such a great dish. That’s what I call court vision. Yeah, he puts that pass right on the money and made things look easy for his teammates. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. So the Lakers five right now. Jake Laabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Marcus Smart. Then it’s Austin Reed. And it’s Clea in at the Fox. Watson for three. Hands it from downtown. You know, Jamal Murray has no problem being the facilitator when he sees open teammates. Smart on the wing. And there’s the drive. Lays it up and banks it in. And the Lakers lead by seven. Well, you love the unselfishness. Makes the next pass and enables his team to capitalize on the possession. Marie finds Brown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his fourth rebound in this one. Bass to Labraia. Reeves with a screen on Hardway. Here’s Vanderbilt. Smart with the ball. Now Valenunis defending good on the three-point shot. Well, with everything else Smart does on the floor, his three-point shooting is really a bonus. Now, Hardaway Junis, that’s a screen for Hardway to the paint. Shot from Z. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Well, look, Valenunis is a big guy, so it’s easy to understand why he gets fouled this close to the basket. First free throw is good and a bruising, fundamentally sound big man. Valenunis is a throwback. More importantly, he’s willing to play whatever role is asked of him. Gabe Vincent, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Allen Junis gets them both. I’m sure they don’t want to send him to the line. That has to be in their scouting report. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Murray. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Pa over in the corner. Vincent and there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. Joic has checked in for Yonis Valenus. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Luka Donic comes in for Vincent. The Nuggets trail by eight. Murray outside. Pass to Joic. Joic makes it look easy inside. Well, what really makes Joic special inside isn’t just his size, but his gracefulness. And JJ Reick is called timeout. He’s not taking any chances. It wants to huddle him up right away. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ali Leforce on the sidelines. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reick was going over with his team. He said, “This is who we are. This is the pace. Don’t let up. He said it doesn’t matter if they go on a run. What matters is how we respond. They plan to respond with a fury. Guys, ally, thank you so much. For those just joining us, fourth quarter here. We’re just over 2 and 1/2 minutes into it. Pass to Cleba. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Here’s connect. It’s hauled in by Joic. Well, the analytics don’t like it, but if the defense has given it up, I like that shot selection despite the miss. Murray the pass to Joic. Six on the shot clock. Denver needs to get off his shot. Brown no good. Lakers leading by six. And we’re about three and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. And every miss finds its way to his hands. Well, what an impressive performance. Yeah, he’s been a beast on the glass. A monster night for him. Joic passes to Brock. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Joic has got his seventh assist in the game. Konic looking it over. Pass to Labraia, sinks the triple, and the Lakers lead by seven. Nice read sets his teammate up. You like how they’re sharing the ball. Murray, the pass to Joic. Fires from deep and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Well, that’s Murray answering right back from the perimeter. You have to love his competitive nature. Arabia passes to Donic and the double up. Donic. Vanderville misses. Denver’s gone two for two from three-point land to start the fourth quarter. Hardway. Kicks to Brown. Pass to Yic. Now Watson a three ball. And again, here’s the Nuggets from deep. Yeah, this offense is rolling. They’ve been assertive, but they’re also playing under control. Yeah. You know, I like how they’re not relying on just one guy to get it done. They’re sharing the ball and keeping the defense. Yes. Connect. No good. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 12 to3 run. Hardway dishes to Brown. Pass to Joic. Joic sets the screen from Murray. Back to Joic. That’s in there. Murray with the assist. Joic has got the lead up to one now for Denver for Los Angeles. They’ve gone three of seven from the floor in the fourth. That’s a 42% mark in the court and stolen by Murray. Brown. The pass to Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s Connect. Pass to Donic over in the corner. Labia and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. And guys, point of emphasis for the league is to really crack down on illegal screens. Yeah, and yet we still see it a lot. It’s a tough thing to police. Cameron Johnson’s checked in for Brown. And then for the Lakers, Hazy’s checked in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for Jake Clarabia. Now here’s Murray to the inside. Yic. It’s rebounded by Hayes. The Lakers trail. Pass to connect. Here’s Dashic. He’s covered by Murray. Shot clock at six. Pannerville gets a wideopen look. Again, the missed by the Lakers. Nuggets have gotten into a pretty good groove going six and 10 here in the final four. Murray the pass to Johnson and here’s Joic. Murray outside, bangs home the trifecta. Murray’s got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for the Nuggets. Well, you got to love that play. Murray gets to his spot and the pass is right there. LeBron dishes to Donic. Back to LeBron. That one’s off. Still out of sink. The Nuggets leading by four. Murray right side. Watson finds Joic. fades. It’s hauled in by LeBron. Lakers trail by four. Donic outside. Pass to connect. The shot’s good on the assist by Donic. You have to stay attached to connect. He’s a terrific offball threat. And we’ve got a timeout from David Adelman. Clearly, he’s got something his players need to hear. And immediately Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Aaron Gordon, he’s checking in for Payton Watson. And Christian Brown subbed in for Tim Hardaway Jr. The Lakers also making some changes. Aton, he’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchimura comes in for Vanderbilt and it’s Austin Reeves in for Dton Connect. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 17-6 run. Marie finds Johnson. Back to Murray. Joic sets the screen for Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. Lakers have gone 4-10 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Brown against Reeves and it’s Murray in the corner and that won’t go missing the go ahead bucket and so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They lead by one and the foul called on Austin Reeves. That’s his first foul. Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Murray. Tight defense on him and it’s Murray with the jam. Well, there’s no question Murray can go get one for you when you need it most. Lakers trail by three. It’s James. James absolutely owning the inside. And when you need a big score, you want LeBron to get the ball. And that’s why Joic with a screen on Dunic. Murray. Joic. He’s off from three. And James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Donic outside. Here’s Hatimura. Donic outside to take the lead. Gordon with the rebound. Nuggets have got a pretty good rhythm going offensively, shooting eight to 15 for the quarter. Johnson surveying the floor. Stolen by Reeves. 156 left to play here in the fourth. Now Hachimura and here is James like six. Now Dun and that will go missing the go ahead basket Johnson outside now Murray Johnson outside here’s Joic for the rebound. to take the lead. Yic pulls it down. Might be time for a little different approach. This shot hasn’t been falling here in the second half. Yic draws it up. Brown fires a three-pointer. Good. Big time basket at a big time moment. Yeah. Don’t you just love to see a player embrace that kind of pressure? And JJ Reick calls timeout here. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James and taken away by Johnson. And so they foul intentionally. Donic against Murray. Here is Gordon. And they double up. Murray. Jacks up a three. And down goes the three. They’re in total command of this game with time starting to run out. Yeah. At this point, the focus is take care of the ball. No needless fouls and no threes. Gordon with the rebound. And they are really racking up the assists in this one. And their team chemistry is evident. These guys enjoy playing with one another. So, the Nuggets win it. It was a fantastic ball game and they did a great job making sure it didn’t get away from them late. Yeah, I mean they faced some challenges but really held firm when they needed to on both ends. Just effective and And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachimura. The guard pair will be Donic and Reeds. And it’s Aon in at center. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him, it’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three, the small forward. Well, GA, we’ve got a marquee matchup in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Yic. No good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. Even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that. It doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feet. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. An passes to Eightton and a wideopen look for Hatimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray. And again, Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima. To the paint and taken away by Johnson in the corner. It’s Brown. And again, Denver no good. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hachimura, no good. Excellent coverage defensively, making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James and that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. The feel LeBron has for the game. Unreal. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over and GA, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded. And coach, one thing that David Adelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season. So, improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Brown has checked in for Denver and he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. Four on the shot clock to stop the run. And it’s wide right. It’s off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two a three here to start off the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Donic handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Joic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown against James. And here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. Guess what? Heat. Heat. Get over this. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game. Dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching. A perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Fires the three. Joic. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep. crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless pass to Joic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five tries. The competitive nature of Jokic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James, a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donic. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself. this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor. But we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, Ally. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the foot. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicola Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s Aton. The shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Peyton Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles, Vanderbilt’s checked in for Hatchima. And Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardway Jr. Primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nugget shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. Pass to Joic. Now Hardway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from T. A go-to shot for Hardaway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, goes back up and the rejection by Eaton. access there denied by DeAndre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses. Mike, we see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Joic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation and not just in it, at the top of it. His ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively? And this is his second trip to the line in the game. Finished the season last year around 80% from the strike. Two shots and he makes the first. And the Nuggets making a change here. Pickicket’s checked in. And Joic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Picket. And it’s Lravia with the rebound. So, it’s the Lakers now. Pass to Cleba. At the elbow, Donic over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a near 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Yic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart. And the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13. Outside Hardlay the 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Larabia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a standstill. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside defending. Shot clock at two. Hardway. No good. Good D. Got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Anj passes to Lorravia. Sixsec difference between shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donuch gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Joic. And he got that one up in time, but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us, folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers, they’ve got Maxi Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Loravia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15 on the wing. Hardaway. Valenunis. That’s a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 02 from deeper in the second. Baseline try and it’s in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. Pass to Watson. Here’s Valenunis. Now Murray. uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length, you know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Smart. Now here’s Clea guarded by Valenunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three who scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Alen Junis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardaway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off. And finish off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA. Right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reeds the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will change possession here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Vincent. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Leor Sports. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Joic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicoolola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Oh yeah, I remember you always motivation what they said to you. Hey man all day at your bank in a hall of fame like this is going to take patience work check maint You might lose homies. You might make friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real surface. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always like this patience. Work constant. Check up steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real service. Do you know your purpose? Eighton. He’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reeves. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic pass to Vanderbilt. Lock at six. Gette with a wideopen look. And again, the Lakers no good. Diamond in space on the perimeter, but he couldn’t capitalize. Well, the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown and and he has rewarded their fate. He has developed so nicely, Kevin. He certainly has. Probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough. And he’s all about winning. Oh, you’ve got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. Here’s Joic. He’s got 14. Johnson in the corner. Fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic looking for Aiden. He gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that. For three, Murray. He gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Eighton’s got five rebounds tonight. And it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He dents the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Eaton. Back to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Murray. James outside. And here’s Donic from the arc. And it’s Joic with the rebound. Yic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13 and it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron. Breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple outside. Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in for Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Aton and Vincent subbed in for Dalton. Connect one shot. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Gilic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura the pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Hon with a screen on Brown from past the arc. Donic no good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game for three. Donic against Joic. And the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves has checked in for Vincent. Stay there inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchim’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets a screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. gets it to go from beyond the arc and the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. He’s got James looking it over. Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. The slam by Joic. Well, run into Yokic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James Cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all. And he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah, and the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. a lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown and it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15 in the corner. It’s Brown. Johnson outside. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray and it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that nice gold streak. Up top, Hatche Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eaton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves the pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Murray. And here’s Joic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eighton against Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James, pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. Well, you can’t play better defense than that, but trolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against the talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends. Steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now, here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown and it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. And he’s got a good handle. Excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds Eightton. Hatimura against Gordon with the shot and another basket for the Lakers offensively, defensively. They are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for them right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the Duke. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arc. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron and James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from Aton there. Pass to Brown. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s Aon. Six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look. The Nuggets trail by 17. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. and GIC with the basket on the assist by Murray. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this. Now, here’s Donic. 16 points for him. Johnson against Hatchim. Pass to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic for three. Murray. They get it back and that one drops. Gordon’s got five points now in the quarter. And offensive rebounding really about timing and positioning there. Gordon using both to burn the D. Eight. A screen on Johnson. Here’s James. Rebound by the Nuggets. Joic has got 14 rebounds tonight. Going after Murray outside Gordon. The pass to Johnson wants to get it to Donic and does. Hachimura finds Donic. Six to shoot. He’s off on that one. Good defense by Joic. Reeves against Brown and Joic slams it in. Yeah, he’s not exactly a highlight reel dunker, but you love to see Joic throw it down. Anj passes to LeBron to the middle. Joic with the steal. And let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Allen. Thank you guys. Cameron Johnson stays even. He said, “I just try to come in and do my job every game, no matter what that looks like.” And as somebody who shoots a lot of threes, some days can be better than others. So you just ride the waves while you can and focus on that next play, the next shot, and your results, they’ll be the results. Back to you. Thank you, Ally. Now, here is Hetimer. He’s got nine. Can they get it? Oh, down the hatch it goes from LeBron from way back there. I mean, LeBron’s just showing off now. Pass to Brown. Denver passing it around. Here’s Joic. Lets it go with the three. That’s in. That’s his fifth field goal. He’s shooting a hot 71%. 5 for seven. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the game, they had a 19-point lead. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take this chance to talk to his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So Denver ends up going with a whole new group. Big group substitution here for the Lakers. Maxi Clea, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia is checked in for James. And Marcus Smart is sub in for Luca Donic. And here is Los Angeles now. Nine-point game. Smart deciding where to go with it. clock at six. Here’s Reeds and it’s Denver with the rebound. Watson with it. Nothing on the board. Brown the pass to Hardway. There’s the screen. A three. Here’s Naji. And there’s a nice one-handed slam. I I like the dish from Hardway Jr. proving once again he’s a team first player. Reeves outside. Lorabia with the screen. Reeves against Hardway. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. Let’s go. Greavves gets the bucket. Eight points for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by nine. Brown outside. Pass to Alen Junis. Got him with the pump fake but couldn’t finish. Los Angeles has gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half. And Clea slams it in. Great pass by Smart. On time, on target. Denver’s gone four of six from three-point land since the start of the second half. And here’s Valenunis. Pass to Hardaway. A step back shot here off the left rim and out. Well, when they’re playing off you, you have to make them pay. And he could. Reeves outside. Now Larabia in the corner. Vanderbilt with it. Here’s Smart. And it’s off from three-point range. Nugget shooting at a decent 44% clip here. 8second difference between the shot clock and the game clock outside. Hardway. The shots good. Brown making the play. Hardway has got nine. Silky smooth with that jumper. Hardway Junior’s mechanics are what make him so deadly. Hardway against Reeves over Hardway. And the last shot before the buzzer is off. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re feeling very confident, shooting the ball with great efficiency and dictating the pace. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. And a chance right now to show you our State Farm assist of the game. And I’m glad this was the pick because I love this pass. Such a great dish. That’s what I call court vision. Yeah, he puts that pass right on the money and made things look easy for his team. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. So the Lakers five right now. Jake Lorabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Marcus Smart. Then it’s Austin Reed. And it’s Cleba in at the five. Watson for three. Hands it from downtown. You know Jamal Murray has no problem being the facilitator when he sees open teammates. Smart on the wing. And there’s the drive. lays it up and banks it in and the Lakers lead by seven. Well, you love the unselfishness. Makes the next pass and enables his team to capitalize on the possession. Marie finds Brown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Loravia. Freeze with a screen on Hardway. Here’s Vanderbilt. Smart with the ball. Now Valenunis defending good on the three-point shot. Well, with everything else Smart does on the floor, his three-point shooting is really a bonus. Now Hardway sets a screen for Hardway. to the paint. Shot from six. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Well, look, Valenunis is a big guy, so it’s easy to understand why he gets fouled this close to the basket. The first free throw is good and a bruising, fundamentally sound big man. Valenunis is a throwback. More importantly, he’s willing to play whatever role is asked of him. Gabe Vincent, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Alan Junis hits them both. I’m sure they don’t want to send him to the line. That has to be in their scouting report. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Murray. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Pa over in the corner. Vincent and there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. Jookic has checked in for Yonis Valenz connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Luka Donic comes in for Vincent. The Nuggets trail by eight. Murray outside. Pass to Joic. Joic makes it look easy inside. Well, what really makes Joic special inside isn’t just his size, but his gracefulness. And JJ Reic is called timeout. He’s not taking any chances and wants to huddle him up right away. Come on. Heat. Heat. Heat. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Ali Leforce on the sidelines. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reick was going over with his team. He said, “This is who we are. This is the pace. Don’t let up. He said it doesn’t matter if they go on a run. What matters is how we respond. They plan to respond with a fury, guys. Allie, thank you so much. For those just joining us, fourth quarter here and we’re just over 2 and 1/2 minutes into it. Pass to Clea. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Here’s connect. It’s held in by Joic. Well, the analytics don’t like it, but if the defense has given it up, I like that shot selection despite the miss. Murray the pass to Joic. Six on the shot clock. Denver needs to get off the shot. Brown no good. Lakers leading by six and we’re about three and a half minutes into the fourth quarter and every miss finds its way to his hands. Well, what an impressive performance. Yeah, he’s been a beast on the glass. A monster night for him. Joic passes to that’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Joic has got his seventh assist in the game. Donic looking it over. Pass to Labraia. Sinks the triple and the Lakers lead by seven. Nice read. Sets his teammate up. You like how they’re sharing the ball. Murray the pass to Joic. tires from deep and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Well, that’s Murray answering right back from the perimeter. You have to love his competitive nature. Aravia passes to Donic. And the double of Donic. Vanderbilt misses. Denver’s gone two for two from three-point land to start the fourth quarter. Hardway kicks to Brown. pass to Joic. Now Watson, a three ball and again it’s the Nuggets from Jeep. Yeah, this offense is rolling. They’ve been assertive, but they’re also playing under control. Yeah, you know, I like how they’re not relying on just one guy to get it done. They’re sharing the ball and keeping the defense guessing. Connect. No good. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 12 to3 run. Hardway dishes to Brown. Pass to Joic. Joic sets the screen from Murray. Back to Yic. That’s in there. Murray with the assist. Joic has got the lead up to one now for Denver for Los Angeles. They’ve gone three of seven from the four in the fourth. That’s a 42% mark in the court. And stolen by Murray. Brown. The pass to Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s connect. Pass to Donic over in the corner. Lorraio and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. And guys, point of emphasis for the league is to really crack down on illegal screens. Yeah. And yet we still see it a lot. It’s a tough thing to police. Cameron Johnson’s checked in for Brown. And then for the Lakers, Hazes checked in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for Jake Clarabia. Now here’s Murray to the inside. Yic. It’s rebounded by Hayes. The Lakers trail. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic. He’s covered by Murray. Shot clock at six. Vanderville gets a wide open look. Again, the missed by the Lakers. Nuggets have gotten into a pretty good groove going six and 10 here in the final four. Murray the pass to Johnson. And here’s Yic. Murray outside. Hangs home the trifecta. Murray’s got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for the Nuggets. Well, you got to love that play. Murray gets to his spot and the pass is right there. LeBron dishes to Donic. Back to LeBron. That one’s off. Still out of sink. The Nuggets leading by four. Murray right side. Watson finds Joic fades. It’s hauled in by LeBron. Lakers trail by four. Anic outside. Pass to connect. The shots good on the assist by Donic. You have to stay attached to connect. He’s a terrific offball threat. And we’ve got a timeout from David Adelman. Clearly, he’s got something his players need to hear. And immediately Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. and the Nuggets with some changes. Aaron Gordon, he’s checking in for Payton Watson. And Christian Brown subbed in for Tim Hardaway Jr. The Lakers also making some changes. Aton, he’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchima comes in for Vanderbilt. And it’s Austin Reeves in for Dalton Connect. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 17-6 run. Murray finds Johnson. Back to Murray. Joic sets the screen for Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. Lakers have gone 410 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Brown against Reeves. and Atachi Murray in the corner and that won’t go. Missing the go- ahead bucket and so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They lead by one and the foul called on Austin Reeves. That’s his first foul. Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Murray. Tight defense on him and it’s Murray with the jam. Well, there’s no question Murray can go get one for you when you need it most. Lakers trail by three. It’s James. James absolutely owning the inside. And when you need a big score, you want LeBron to get the ball. And that’s why Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray Joic. He’s off from three. And so James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Dachage outside. Here’s Hatimura. Dachage outside to take the lead. Gordon with the rebound. Nuggets have got a pretty good rhythm going offensively. Shooting eight of 15 for the quarter. Johnson surveying the floor. Stolen by Reeves. 156 left to play here in the fourth. Now Hachimura and here is James like six. Now Donic and that will go missing the go-ahead basket. Johnson outside now. Murray Johnson outside. Here’s Yic. Don for the rebound to take the lead. Yic pulls it down. Might be time for a little different approach. This shot hasn’t been falling here in the second half. Gets draw another fires a three-pointer. Good. Big time basket at a big time moment. Yeah. Don’t you just love to see a player embrace that kind of pressure? And JJ Reick calls timeout here. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James and taken away by Johnson. And so they foul intentionally. Donic against Murray. Here is Gordon. And they double up. Murray. Jacks up a three. And down goes the three. They’re in total command of this game. The time starting to run out. Yeah. And at this point, the focus is take care of the ball. No needless fouls and no threes. Gordon with the rebound. And they are really racking up the assists in this one. And their team chemistry is evident. These guys enjoy playing with one another. So, the Nuggets win it. It was a fantastic ball game and they did a great job making sure it didn’t get away from them late. Yeah, I mean they faced some challenges but really held firm when they needed to on both ends are just effective in And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachimura. The guard pair will be Donic and Reeds. And it’s Aon in at center. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him, it’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three. The small forward. GA. We’ve got a marquee matchup in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Yic. No good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. Even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that and it doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feet. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. Hedge passes to Aton and a wideopen look for Hatimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray. And again, Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima. To the paint and taken away by Johnson in the corner. It’s Brown. And again, Denver no good. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hachimura, no good. Excellent coverage defensively, making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James and that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. The feel LeBron has for the game. Unreal. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over and G, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. And coach, one thing that David Edelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season, so improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Browny’s checked in for Denver and he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. Four on the shot clock. Just stopped the run and it’s wide right. hits off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two a three here to start off the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Donic handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Yic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Brown against James. And here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Get over. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching, a perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Dunic. Fires the three. Joic no good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless. Pass to Joic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five trials. The competitive nature of Joic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James, a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donic. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor, but we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, Ally. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the football. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicole Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s Eaton. The shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. Let’s go. And the Nuggets with some changes. Peyton Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardaway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles, Vanderbilt’s checked in for Hatchima. And Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardaway Jr. primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nugget shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. pass to Joic. Now Hardaway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from G. A goen shot for Hardaway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, goes back up and the rejection by Eaton. Access there denied by DeAndre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses. Right. We see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Joic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation. and not just in it, at the top of it. His ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now, here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it. Guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively? And this is his second trip to the line in the game. finished the season last year around 80% from the striker. Two shots and he makes the first and the Nuggets making a change here. Pickicket’s checked in. And Joic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Picket. And it’s Labraia with the rebound. So it’s the Lakers now. Pass to Cleba. at the elbow. Donic over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a mere 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Joic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart and the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13 outside Hardway. The 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Lorraia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a standstill. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside. Leave it defending. Shot clock at two. Hard away. No good. Good D. got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Aned passes to Lavia. Six second difference between the shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donic gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Joic. And he got that one up in time, but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us, folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers, they got back to Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Lorravia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15 on the wing. Hardway. Valenjunis sets a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderville with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 0 or two from deep here in the second. Baseline try and it’s in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. Pass to Watson. Here’s Valenjunis now. Murray uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length. You know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Smart. Now here’s Clebo guarded by Valentunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three. He scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Valenunis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardaway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky and finished off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA, right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reeds the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will retain position here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Benson. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Lefor Sports. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Joic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Yeah, I remember you always do it in terms of motivation what they said to you. Hey man, all day the price that you pay in all the fact like this is going to take patience work. Check up steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might make friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the service. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always doubed on the kid what they had to do. It turns on motivation what they said to you. mail all day in a bank like this. It’s going to take patience. Check steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the real he’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reeds. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. Pass to Vanderbilt. Pocket six. Connect with a wideopen look. And again, the Lakers no good. finding space on the perimeter, but he couldn’t capital. Well, the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown, and he has rewarded their faith. He has developed so nicely, Kevin. He certainly has. Probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough. And he’s all about winning. Oh, you got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. Here’s Joic. He’s got 14. Johnson in the corner. Fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic looking for Aton. He gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that for three. Murray. He gets held in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got five rebounds tonight. And it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He danced the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Eaton. Back to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Murray. James outside. And here’s Donic from the arc. And it’s Jokic with the rebound. Joic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13. And it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron. Breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple. Outside Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in for Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Aton and Vincent subbed in for Dalton connect. One shot. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Jokic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura the pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Donic with a screen on Brown from past the ark. Donic no good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game for three. Donic against Joic. And the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves is checked in for Vincent. Stay stay inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchim’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets the screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. Gets it to go from beyond the arc. And the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. James looking it over. Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? guys. I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. The slam by Joic. Well, run into Yic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James Cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all, and he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah. And the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. a lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown and it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15. In the corner, it’s Brown. Johnson outside. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray. And it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that ice cold streak. Up top, Hatche Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eightton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves. The pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Mur. And here’s Joic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eighton against Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James, pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. Well, you can’t play better defense than that, patrolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. and we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends, steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now, here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown and it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. And he’s got a good handle. Excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds eight. Hatimura against Gordon with a shot and another basket for the Lakers. Offensively, defensively, they are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for them right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the D. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arc. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron, a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron and James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from Eightton there. Pass to Brown. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s a six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look for the Nuggets trail by 17. Go. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. And Joic with the basket on the assist by Murray. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this. Now here’s Donic. 16 points for him. Johnson against Hatchim to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic for three. Murray, they get it back and that one drops. Gordon’s got five points now in the quarter. And offensive rebounding really about timing and positioning there. Gordon using both to burn the deep. Payton a screen on Johnson. Here’s James. Rebound by the Nuggets. Jokic has got 14 rebounds tonight. Going after Murray outside. Gordon. The pass to Johnson wants to get it to Donic and does. Hachimura finds Donic. Six to shoot. Watch out. He’s off on that one. Good defense by Joic. Reeves against Brown. And Joic slams it in. Yeah, he’s not exactly a highlight reel dunker, but you love to see Joic throw it down. Anj passes to LeBron to the middle. Joic with the steel and let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Allen. Thank you guys. Cameron Johnson stays even. He said, “I just try to come in and do my job every game, no matter what that looks like.” And as somebody who shoots a lot of threes, some days can be better than others. So, you just ride the waves while you can and focus on that next play, the next shot, and your results. They’ll be the results. Back to you. Thank you, Ally. Now, here is Hetimer. He’s got nine. Can they get it? Oh, down the hatch it goes from LeBron from way back there. I mean, LeBron’s just showing off now. Pass to Brown. Denver passing it around. Here’s Joic. lets it go with a three. That’s in. That’s his fifth field goal. He’s shooting a hot 71%. 5 for seven. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the game, they had a 19-point lead. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take this chance to talk to his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So Denver ends up going with a whole new group. Big group substitution here for the Lakers. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for DeAndre Eaton. Vanderbilt comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia has checked in for James. And Marcus Smart is subbed in for Luca Donic. And here is Los Angeles now. Nine-point game. Smart deciding where to go with it. Lock at six. Here’s Reeds and it’s Denver with the rebound. Hudson with it. Nothing on the board. Brown. The pass to Hardaway. There’s the screen. A three. Here’s Naja. And here’s a nice one-handed slam. I like the dish from Hardaway Jr. proving once again he’s a team first player. Reeves outside. Lorabia with the screen. Reeves against Hardway. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. Let’s go. Greavves gets the bucket. Eight points for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by nine. Brown outside. Pass to Denon Chunis. got him with the bump fake but couldn’t finish. Los Angeles has gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half. And Clea slams it in. Great pass by Smart. On time, on target. Denver’s gone four of six from three-point land since the start of the second half. And here’s Valenunis. Pass to Hardaway. A step back shot here off the left rim and up. Well, when they’re playing off you, you have to make them pay. And he couldn’t. Reeves outside. Now Lorravia in the corner. Vanderbilt with it. Here’s Smart. And it’s off from three-point range. Nugget shooting in a decent 44% clip here. 8second difference between the shot clock and the game clock outside. Hardway. The shots good. Brown making the play. Hardway has got nine. Silky smooth with that jumper. Hardway Junior’s mechanics are what make him so deadly. Hardway against Reeves over Hardway. And the last shot before the buzzer is off. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re feeling very confident shooting the ball with great efficiency and dictating the pace. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. and a chance right now to show you our State Farm assist of the game. And and I’m glad this was the pick because I love this pass. Such a great dish. That’s what I call court vision. Yeah, he puts that pass right on the money and made things look easy for his teammates. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. So the Lakers five right now. Jake Larabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Marcus Smart. Then it’s Austin Reed. And it’s Cleba in at the five. Watson for three. Hands it from downtown. You know Jamal Murray has no problem being the facilitator when he sees open teammates. Smart on the wing. And there’s the drive. lays it up and banks it in and the Lakers lead by seven. Well, you love the unselfishness. Makes the next pass and enables his team to capitalize on the possession. Marie finds Brown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his fourth rebound in this one. Bass to Labraia. Freeze with the screen on Hardway. Here’s Vanderbilt. Smart with the ball. Now Valenunis defending good on the three-point shot. Well, with everything else Smart does on the floor, his three-point shooting is really a bonus. Now Hardaway Junis, that’s a screen for Hardway. to the paint. Shot from six. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Well, look, Valenunis is a big guy, so it’s easy to understand why he gets fouled this close to the basket. First free throw is good and a bruising, fundamentally sound big man. Valenunis is a throwback. More importantly, he’s willing to play whatever role is asked of him. Gabe Vincent, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Allen Junis gets them both. I’m sure they don’t want to send him to the line. That has to be in their scouting report. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with a screen on Murray. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Pa over in the corner. Vincent and there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. Joic has checked in for Yonas Valenz. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Luca Donic comes in for Vincent. The Nuggets trail by eight. Murray outside. Pass to Joic. Joic makes it look easy inside. Well, what really makes Joic special inside isn’t just his size, but his gracefulness. And JJ Reick is called timeout. He’s not taking any chances and wants to huddle him up right away. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Right now, let’s take a second to catch up with Alli Laorse on the sidelines. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reic was going over with his team. He said, “This is who we are. This is the pace. Don’t let up.” He said it doesn’t matter if they go on a run. What matters is how we respond. They plan to respond with a fury. Guys, ally, thank you so much. For those just joining us, fourth quarter here and we’re just over two and a half minutes into it. Pass to Cleba. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Here’s connect. It’s held in by Yic. Well, the analytics don’t like it, but if the defense has given it up, I like that shot selection despite the miss. Murray the pass to Joic. Six on the shot clock. Denver needs to get off his shot. Brown no good. Lakers leading by six and we’re about three and a half minutes into the fourth quarter and every miss finds its way to his hands. Well, what an impressive performance. Yeah, he’s been a beast on the glass. A monster night for him. Joic passes to that’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Joic has got his seventh assist in the game. Donic looking it over. Pass to Labraia. Sinks the triple and the Lakers lead by seven. Nice read. Sets his teammate up. You like how they’re sharing the ball. Murray the pass to Joic. fires from deep and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Well, that’s Murray answering right back from the perimeter. You have to love his competitive nature. Aravia passes to Donic and they double up. Donic. Vanderbilt misses. Denver’s gone two for two from three-point land to start the fourth quarter. Hardway kicks to Brown. Pass to Joic. Now Watson, a three ball. And again, here’s the Nuggets from deep. Yeah, this offense is rolling. They’ve been assertive, but they’re also playing under control. Yeah. You know, I like how they’re not relying on just one guy to get it done. They’re sharing the ball and keeping the defense. Yes. Connect. No good. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 12 to3 run. Hardway dishes to Brown. Pass to Yic. Joic sets the screen from Murray. Back to Joic. That’s in there. Murray with the assist. Joic has got the lead up to one now for Denver for Los Angeles. They’ve gone three of seven from the floor in the fourth. That’s a 42% mark in the court. And stolen by Murray. Brown. The pass to Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s connect. Pass to Donic over in the corner. Larabia. And there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. And guys, point of emphasis for the league is to really crack down on illegal screens. Yeah. And yet we still see it a lot. It’s a tough thing to police. Cameron Johnson’s checked in for Brown. And then for the Lakers, Hazy’s checked in for Maxi Cleba and James subed in for Jake Clarabia. Now here’s Murray to the inside. Joic. It’s rebounded by Hayes. The Lakers trail. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic. He’s covered by Murray. Shot clock at six. Vanderville gets a wideopen look. Again, the missed by the Lakers. Rockets have gotten into a pretty good groove going six and 10 here in the final quarter. Murray the pass to Johnson. And here’s Joic. Murray outside. Hangs home the trifecta. Murray’s got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for the Nuggets. Well, you got to love that play. Murray gets to his spot and the pass is right there. LeBron dishes to Donic. Back to LeBron. That one’s off. Still out of sink. The Nuggets leading by four. Murray right side. Watson finds Joic. fades. It’s hauled in by LeBron. Lakers trail by four. Anic outside. Pass to connect. The shot’s good on the assist by Donic. You have to stay attached to connect. He’s a terrific offball threat. And we’ve got a timeout from David Adelman. Clearly, he’s got something his players need to hear. And immediately Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Aaron Gordon, he’s checking in for Payton Watson. And Christian Brown subbed in for Tim Hardaway Jr. The Lakers also making some changes. Aton, he’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchimura comes in for Vanderbilt and it’s Austin Reeves in for Dton Connect. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 17-6 run. Murray finds Johnson. Back to Murray. Joic sets the screen for Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. Lakers have gone 410 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Brown against Reeves and it’s Aachi Murray in the corner and that won’t go. Missing the go-ahead bucket and so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They lead by one and the foul called on Austin Reeves. That’s his first foul. Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Murray. Tight defense on him and it’s Murray with the jam. Well, there’s no question Murray can go get one for you when you need it most. Lakers trail by three. It’s James. James absolutely owning the inside. And when you need a big score, you want LeBron to get the ball. And that’s why Joic with a screen on Dunic. Murray. Joic. He’s off from three. And James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Duchic outside. Here’s Hachimura. Donic outside to take the lead. Gordon with the rebound. Nuggets have got a pretty good rhythm going offensively, shooting eight to 15 for the quarter. Johnson surveying the floor. Stolen by Reeves. 156 left to play here in the fourth. Now Hachimura and here is James like six. Now Dunes and that will go missing the go ahead basket Johnson outside now Murray Johnson outside here’s Joic for the rebound to take the lead. Joic pulls it down. Might be time for a little different approach. This shot hasn’t been falling here in the second half. Yogic draws the Brown fires a three-pointer. Good. Big time basket at a big time moment. Yeah. Don’t you just love to see a player embrace that kind of pressure? And JJ Reic calls timeout here. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James. and taken away by Johnson. And so they foul intentionally. Donic against Murray. Here is Gordon. And they double up. Murray. Jacks up a three. And down goes the three. They’re in total command of this game with time starting to run out. Yeah, and at this point the focus is take care of the ball. No needless fouls and no threes. Gordon with the rebound. And they are really racking up the assists in this one. And their team chemistry is evident. These guys enjoy playing with one another. So, the Nuggets win it. It was a fantastic ball game and they did a great job making sure it didn’t get away from him late. Yeah, I mean they faced some challenges but really held firm when they needed to on both ends. just effective in And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachi Mura. The guard pair will be Donich and Reeds. And it’s Aton in its center. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him, it’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three, the small forward. GA, we’ve got a marquee matchup in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Yic. No good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that and it doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup off a very nice feed. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. Anage passes to Eightton and a wide open look for Hatimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray and again Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima to the paint and taken away by Johnson in the corner. It’s Brown and again Denver no good and so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hatchima no good. Excellent coverage defensively making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. The feel LeBron has for the game unreal. whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over, and GA, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. And coach, one thing that David Adelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season. So, improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Brownies checked in for Denver. And he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. four on the shot clock to stop the run and it’s wide right. It’s off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two or three here to start off the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Don’s handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Joic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. on the ground. Brown against James. And here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat. Heat. That’s What’s going on? Get over this. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game. Dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching. A perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Fires the three. Joic. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep. Crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless. Pass to Joic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five tries. The competitive nature of Joic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James, a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donic. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor, but we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, allie. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the football. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicola Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s Aton. The shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. Let’s go. And the Nuggets with some changes. Ben Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles. Vanderbilts checked in for Hatchima. And Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardway Jr. primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nugget shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. Pass to Joic. Now Hardaway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from deep. A go-to shot for Hardaway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, goes back up and the rejection by Eaton. Access there denied by DeAndre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses. Right. We see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Yokic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation. and not just in it, at the top of it. His ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now, here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it. Guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively? And this is his second trip to the line in the game. finished the season last year around 80% from the strike. Two shots and he makes the first and the Nuggets making a change here. Pickicket’s checked in. And Joic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Pickicket. And it’s Labraia with the rebound. So it’s the Lakers now. pass to Cleba at the elbow. Donic over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a mere 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Joic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart and the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13. Outside Hardway, the 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Laabia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a stand still. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside defending. Shot clock at two. Hard away. No good. Good D. Got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Donich passes to Labraia. Sixsec difference between shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donuch gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Yic. And he got that one up in time, but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us, folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers. They got back to Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Loravia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15 on the wing. Hardaway. Valenjunis. That’s a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 02 from Deer in the second. Baseline try and in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. Pass to Watson. Here’s Valenunis. Now Murray, uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length. You know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now, here’s Smart. Now here’s Clea guarded by Valenunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three who scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Valenjunis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardaway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky. And finish off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA. Right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reads the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will change possession here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Vincent. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Leor Sports. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Yokic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardaway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Oh yeah. To do it in terms of motivation what they said to you. Hey man all day that you pay in the hall of fame like this. It’s going to take patience check. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take 10. The realest always comes to surface. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always do it in terms of motivation. What they all like this is going to take patience. Check up steady maintenance. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you did it in a year. It might take the real he’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reeds. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic pass to Vanderbilt. Lock at six. Gak with a wideopen look and again the Lakers no good. Find him space on the perimeter but he couldn’t capitalize. Now the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown and and he has rewarded their fate. He has developed so nicely. Seven. He certainly has probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough. And he’s all about winning. Oh, you’ve got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. Here’s Joic. He’s got 14. Johnson in the corner. Fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic looking for Aiden. He gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that for three. Murray gets hauled in by Los Angeles. Eighton’s got five rebounds tonight and it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He danced the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Eaton. Back to Donic. Vanderbilt. A screen on Murray. James outside. And here’s Donic from the arc. And it’s Joic with the rebound. Jokic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13. And it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron. Breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple. Outside Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eye opening for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in from Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Aton and Vincent subbed in for Dalton connect. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Yic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura the pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Donic with a screen on Brown from past the arc. Donic no good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of a game for three. Donic against Joic. And the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves is checked in for Vincent. Stay here inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchim’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets the screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. Gets it to go from beyond the ark. And the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. James looking it over. Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. The slam by Joic. Well, run into Joic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James Cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all, and he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah, and the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. a lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown and it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James. Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15 in the corner. It’s Brown. Johnson outside. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray. And it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that nice gold streak. up top. Hatchy Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eaton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves. The pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Murray. And here’s Joic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eightton against Yic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James, pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. Well, you can’t play better defense than that, but trolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca. And we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against a talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends. Steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now, here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown and it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. And he’s got a good handle. Excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds it. Hatchima against Gordon with the shot and another basket for the Lakers. Offensively, defensively, they are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for them right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Thank you. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the D. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arass to Hatchima. LeBron, a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron and James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from Aton there. Pass to Brown. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. And that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s a six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look for the Nuggets trail by 17. go. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. And Joic with the basket on the assist by Murray. No doubt about it. He has done a ton to help his team, but he’s going to have to do even more if they want to have a chance to get back in this. Now, here’s Donic. 16 points for him. Johnson against Hatchim to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic for three. Murray, they get it back and that one drops. Gordon’s got five points now in the quarter. and offensive rebounding really about timing and positioning there. Gordon using both to burn the D. Eightton a screen on Johnson. Here’s James. Rebound by the Nuggets. Joic has got 14 rebounds tonight. Going after Murray outside. Gordon. The pass to Johnson. Arms to get it to Donic and does. Hachimura finds Donic. Six to shoot. Watch out. He’s off on that one. Good defense by Joic. Reeves against Brown. And Joic slams it in. Yeah, he’s not exactly a highlight reel dunker, but you love to see Joic throw it down. Anj passes to LeBron to the middle. Joic with the steel and let’s go to the sideline. Here’s Allen. Thank you guys. Cameron Johnson stays even. He said, “I just try to come in and do my job every game, no matter what that looks like.” And as somebody who shoots a lot of threes, some days can be better than others. So, you just ride the waves while you can and focus on that next play, the next shot, and your results. They’ll be the results. Back to you. Thank you, Ally. Now, here is Hetimer. He’s got nine. Can they get it? Oh, down the hatch it goes from LeBron from way back there. I mean, LeBron’s just showing off now. Pass to Brown. Denver passing it around. Here’s Yic. lets it go with the three. That’s him. That’s his fifth field goal. He’s shooting a hot 71% 5 for seven. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Earlier in the game, they had a 19-point lead. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take this chance to talk to his guys. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So Denver ends up going with a whole new group. Big group substitution here for the Lakers. Maxi Cleba, he’s checked in for DeAndre Aton. Anderville comes in for Hatchima. Jake Larabia is checked in for James and Marcus Smart is subbed in for Luca Donuch. And here is Los Angeles now. Nine-point game. Smart deciding where to go with it. Lock at six. Here’s Reeds. And it’s Denver with the rebound. Hudson with it. Nothing on the board. Brown. The pass to Hardaway. There’s the screen. The three. Here’s Naji. And there’s a nice one-handed slam. I I like the dish from Hardway Jr. proving once again he’s a team first player. Reeves outside. Lorabia with the screen. Reeves against Hardway. The Lakers need to get a shot off here. Let’s go. Reeves gets the bucket. Eight points for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by nine. Brown outside. Pass to Alen Junis. got him with the bunt fake but couldn’t finish. Los Angeles has gone a less than productive two of six from three-point land in the second half and Clea slams it in. Great pass by Smart on time on target. Denver’s gone four of six from three-point land since the start of the second half. And here is Valenunis. Pass to Hardaway. A step back shot here off the left rim and up. Well, when they’re playing off you, you have to make them pay. And he couldn’t. Reeves outside. Now Larabia in the corner. Vanderbilt with it. Here’s Smart. And it’s off from three-point range. Nugget shooting at a decent 44% clip here. 8sec difference between the shot clock and the game clock. Outside Hardway. The shots good. Brown making the play. Hardway has got nine. Silky smooth with that jumper. Hardway Junior’s mechanics are what make him so deadly. Hardway against Reeves over Hardway. And the last shot before the buzzer is off. And so it’s the Los Angeles Lakers holding on to an eight-point lead heading into the break. They’re feeling very confident, shooting the ball with great efficiency and dictating the pace. We’ll get you back to the action after this break. And a chance right now to show you our State Farm assist of the game. And and I’m glad this was the pick because I love this pass. Such a great dish. That’s what I call court vision. Yeah, he puts that pass right on the money and made things look easy for his teammates. And with three quarters behind us, let’s see what this fourth period holds in store for us. So the Lakers five right now. Jake Larabia out there with Jared Vanderbilt. Then it’s Marcus Smart. Then it’s Austin Reed. And it’s Cleba in at the Foster. Watson for three. Cans it from downtown. You know Jamal Murray has no problem being the facilitator when he sees open teammates. Smart on the wing. And there’s the drive. Lays it up and banks it in. And the Lakers lead by seven. Well, you love the unselfishness. Makes the next pass and enables his team to capitalize on the possession. Marie finds Brown. Reeves with the rebound. Reeves has got his fourth rebound in this one. Pass to Labraia. Reeves with a screen on Hardway. Here’s Vanderbilt. Smart with the ball now. Valenunis defending good on the three-point shot. Well, with everything else Smart does on the floor, his three-point shooting is really a bonus. Now, Hardaway Junis, that’s a screen for Hardway to the paint. Shot from Z. Two free throws coming up and they call the shooting foul. Well, look, Valenunis is a big guy, so it’s easy to understand why he gets fouled this close to the basket. First free throw is good. and a bruising, fundamentally sound big man. Valenunis is a throwback. More importantly, he’s willing to play whatever role is asked of him. Gabe Vincson, he’s checked in for the Lakers. Alan Junis hits them both. I’m sure they don’t want to send him to the line. That has to be in their scouting report. Reeves the pass to Vincent. Reeves with the screen on Murray. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Pa over in the corner. Vincent and there’s the shot clock violation. Couldn’t get the shot off in time. Joic has checked in for Yonis Valenz. Connect. He’s checked in for the Lakers. Luke Donic comes in for Vincent. The Nuggets trail by eight. Murray outside. Pass to Joic. Joic makes it look easy inside. Well, what really makes Yic special inside isn’t just his size, but his gracefulness. And JJ Reic is called timeout. He’s not taking any chances and wants to huddle him up right away. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. right now. Let’s take a second to catch up with Ally Leforce on the sidelines. I was able to listen in on what JJ Reick was going over with his team. He said, “This is who we are. This is the pace. Don’t let up.” He said, “It doesn’t matter if they go on a run. What matters is how we respond. They plan to respond with a fury, guys. Allie, thank you so much. For those just joining us, fourth quarter here and we’re just over 2 and 1/2 minutes into it. Pass to Clea. Some nice passing here by Los Angeles. Here’s Katak. It’s held in by Yic. Well, the analytics don’t like it, but if the defense has given it up, I like that shot selection despite the Murray. The pass to Joic. Six on the shot clock. Denver needs to get off the shot. Brown no good. Lakers leading by six. And we’re about three and a half minutes into the fourth quarter. And every miss finds its way to his hands. What an impressive performance. Yeah, he’s been a beast on the glass. A monster night for him. Joic passes to that’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Joic has got his seventh assist in the game. Donic looking it over. Pass to Larabia, sinks the triple and the Lakers lead by seven. Nice read sets his teammate up. You like how they’re sharing the ball. Murray the pass to Joic. Fires from deep and it’s Jamal Murray with the three. Well, that’s Murray answering right back from the perimeter. You have to love his competitive nature. Arabia passes to Donic and the double up. Donic. Vanderbilt misses. Denver’s gone two for two from three-point land to start the fourth quarter. Hardway kicks to Brown. Pass to Joic. Now Watson a three ball. And again, here’s the Nuggets from Jeep. Yeah, this offense is rolling. They’ve been assertive, but they’re also playing under control. Yeah, you know, I like how they’re not relying on just one guy to get it done. They’re sharing the ball and keeping the defense. Yes. Connect. No good. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 12-3 run. Hardway dishes to Brown. Pass to Joic. Joic sets the screen from Murray. Back to Yic. That’s in there. Murray with the assist. Joic has got the lead up to one now for Denver for Los Angeles. They’ve gone three of seven from the four in the fourth. That’s a 42% mark in the court and stolen by Murray. Brown. The pass to Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. Here’s connect. Pass to Donic over in the corner. Lorabio and there’s the call. It’s going to be an illegal screen. And guys, point of emphasis for the league is to really crack down on illegal screens. Yeah, and yet we still see it a lot. It’s a tough thing to police. Cameron Johnson’s checked in for Brown. And then for the Lakers, Hazes checked in for Maxi Cleba and James subbed in for Jake Clarabia. Now here’s Murray to the inside. Yic. It’s rebounded by Hayes. The Lakers trail. Pass to connect. Here’s Donic. He’s covered by Murray. Shot clock at six. Tannerville gets a wideopen look again by the Lakers. Nuggets have gotten into a pretty good groove going six and 10 here in the final four. Murray the pass to Johnson and here’s Joic. Murray outside hangs home the trifecta. Murray’s got a couple of three-pointers now in the fourth for the Nuggets. Well, you got to love that play. Murray gets to his spot and the pass is right there. LeBron dishes to Donic. Back to LeBron. That one’s off. Still out of sink. The Nuggets leading by four. Murray right side. Watson finds Yic. fades. It’s hauled in by LeBron. Lakers trail by four. Donic outside. Pass to connect. The shot’s good on the assist by Donic. You have to stay attached to connect. He’s a terrific offball threat. And we’ve got a timeout from David Adelman. Clearly, he’s got something his players need to hear and immediately Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Aaron Gordon, he’s checking in for Payton Watson. And Christian Brown subbed in for Tim Hardaway Jr. The Lakers also making some changes. Aton, he’s checked in for Jackson Hayes. Hatchima comes in for Vanderbilt and it’s Austin Reeves in for Dolton connect. Here’s Denver now. They’re on a 17-6 run. Murray finds Johnson. Back to Murray. Joic sets the screen for Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. Lakers have gone 410 here in the final period. Not the time to go cold. Brown against Reeves and Atachi Murray in the corner and that won’t go. Missing the go- ahead bucket and so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They lead by one and the foul called on Austin Reeds. That’s his first foul. Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Murray. Tight defense on him and it’s Murray with the jam. Well, there’s no question Murray can go get one for you when you need it most. Lakers trail by three. It’s James. James absolutely owning the inside. And when you need a big score, you want LeBron to get the ball. And that’s why Joic with a screen on Dunic. Murray. Joic. He’s off from three. And so James will bring it up for Los Angeles. Dotic outside. Here’s Hachimura. Dachage outside to take the lead. Gordon with the rebound. Nuggets have got a pretty good rhythm going offensively, shooting eight to 15 for the quarter. Johnson surveying the floor. Stolen by Reeves. 156 left to play here in the fourth. Now Hachimura and here is James like six. Now Donic and that won’t go. Missing the go ahead basket. Johnson outside now. Murray Johnson outside. Here’s Joic for the rebound. to take the lead. Yic pulls it down. Might be time for a little different approach. This shot hasn’t been falling here in the second half. Yogic draws it up. Brown fires a three-pointer. Good. Big time basket at a big time moment. Yeah. Don’t you just love to see a player embrace that kind of pressure? And JJ Reick calls timeout here. No doubt he is feeling the importance of this moment right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. It’s James and taken away by Johnson. And so they foul intentionally. Donic against Murray. Here is Gordon and they double up Murray. Jacks up a three and down goes the three. They’re in total command of this game with time starting to run out. Yeah, and at this point the focus is take care of the ball. No needless fouls and no threes. Gordon with the rebound and they are really racking up the assists in this one. And their team chemistry is evident. These guys enjoy playing with one another. So the Nuggets win it. It was a fantastic ball game and they did a great job making sure it didn’t get away from them late. Yeah, I mean they faced some challenges but really held firm when they needed to on both ends are just effective in And now the Lakers starting group in the forward positions, James and Hachimura. The guard pair will be Donich and Reeds. And it’s Aon Init. And for Denver in at the guard spots, Murray and Brown inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic. And it’s Johnson in at the three, the small forward. GA, we’ve got a marquee match up in this one. Two Western Conference powerhouses. And for all we know, this could be a future playoff matchup. So, this is an important test for both teams. They each get an opportunity to see how they stack up against the top opponent. Yic. No good. Well, you can tell he thinks he should have had that one. Even harder on him when he’s got a good look like that and it doesn’t go down. Back to LeBron and he takes it in for the layup. Off a very nice feed. And nice touch from the inside. I I’m a fan of when LeBron just burls his way inside and takes advantage. Joic with a screen on Donic. Murray no good. And you don’t want to give up that kind of look too often. An passes to Eightton and a wideopen look for Hachimura. Yes, it’s James picking up the assist. Just solid with the jump shot. Hachimura helps your offense in a number of ways. In that case, spacing the floor. Brown the pass to Murray and again Denver no good. The Lakers with a quick start to this game. James kicks to Hatchima to the paint and taken away by Johnson. In the corner, it’s Brown. And again, Denver no good. And so Donic will bring it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s a five-point game. Hachimura, no good. Excellent coverage defensively, making it hard on him. And there’s the foul. It’s on Cameron Johnson. That’s his first foul. Really just a great play to sacrifice his body and take the charge. LeBron. LeBron against Johnson. James. And that’ll be two free throws coming up. Officials on the call with the foul. Cam Johnson picks one up. the feel LeBron has for the game. Unreal. Whatever situation he finds himself in, he always seems to have an answer. When LeBron’s playing days are over, and GA, who knows when that’ll be, what will you remember most about his play? You know, I don’t think there’s ever been a player who came into the league with such lofty expectations and not only met those expectations, but fair to say he’s exceeded them. And coach, one thing that David Adelman stressed was getting this Nuggets team in much better shape. Yeah, it seems like they wore down in the playoffs last season. So, improved conditioning and more depth potentially could help them hold up better down the stretch. Brown has checked in for Denver. And he makes both free throws. For Denver, they’ve gone 0 of four, missing their first four field goals here. Pass to Joic. Murray outside. Four on the shot clock to stop the run and it’s wide right. It’s off the rim for Los Angeles. They’ve gone two or three here to start out the game. Here’s Donic off to a good start as he hits his first shot attempt and showing he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve there. Don’s handles are very impressive. Outside Gordon Brown against Reeves. Now here’s Joic. He’s guarded close over Eightton. It’s rebounded by Donic. And so it’s Donic with it. He brings it up for the Los Angeles Lakers. on the ground. Brown against James. And here’s Donic from the arc. Good. And the assist goes to James. Donic has got five. Yeah, they they have gone full throttle from the opening tip showing no signs of letting up. Yeah, they’ve come out with more energy and effort and that’s reflected in the score. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. He’s going to make some adjustments to the game plan. Heat up here. Down goat. Heat. Heat. Get over this. And we’re approaching about 3 and 1/2 minutes played in the first quarter. Murray no good. That’s not a bad shot at all. It just didn’t go in. Sometimes the process is right and you still get a bad result. James finds Reeves. Good. And the assist goes to James. James has got three assists now in this one. Yeah, we’re seeing some fireworks from them already. Yeah, I mean this is exactly how you want to start a game with a big offensive push. Joic with the bucket. Well, in a league of huge guys, Joic size stands out. He is a problem. Donic against Murray. Donic with the bucket. And what a way to start this game dominating at both ends of the floor. Obviously guys, brilliant coaching. A perfect game plan. Back to Murray. Joic with a screen on Donic. Fires the three. Joic. No good. And he didn’t punish them for the weak coverage there, but they can’t count on him to continue missing. And here’s Reeves outside. And again, it’s the Lakers from deep crushing it right now. They’ve done an excellent job of spacing the floor. Yeah, we thought this might be the case. You see a few of those go through the net. It becomes contagious. Now here’s Murray. Still scoreless pass to Joic. The three. He makes that one drop. Only a second in five tries. The competitive nature of Joic coming through. He wanted those three points right back. James a screen on Murray and James gets it to go on the assist by Donuch. James has got six. They just won’t miss. I mean, this is incredible. Well, as a coach, this is when you enjoy what you’re watching. Your team playing well and everything just flowing. Now, here’s Joic. He’s got five. Murray no good. He just doesn’t look like himself this quarter. Something’s missing. Yeah. And sometimes guys just start pressing. The best thing for him is to just slow it down and concentrate on solid shot selection. The Nuggets trail by 17. Now here’s Murray. Pass to Joic. Brown outside. No good on the three. Lakers leading by 17. And now let’s swing it over to Ally Leforce on the sideline. Thanks. I caught up with the Nuggets head coach. I asked him what lessons he’s learned from studying tape on Luca Donuch. And coach told me, “Well, one thing is you can’t force him into anything. Luca plays at the pace that he wants to play at and goes where he wants to go on the floor, but we can try and take away his options and that should present some obstacles for him. Back to you, Kevin. All right, Ally. Thank you, Joic. It’s good on the foot. Well, the first guy you have to box out there, Nicole Joic. That’s just bad recognition. Down low. Here’s the shots good on the assist by Donic. And the Lakers lead by 17. And really, it’s been a major aspect of their offense in the early stages here. Their success working the ball inside and getting points from close range. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to talk some things over with the team. Might be seeing something to adjust. Heat. Heat. And the Nuggets with some changes. Peyton Watson comes in for Gordon. Hardaway is subbed in for Murray. And then for Los Angeles, Vanderbilts checked in for Hatchima and Smart subbed in for Austin Reeds. The Nuggets trail by 17. Joic passes to Hardaway. That’s in coming off the assist from Joic. Oh, excellent preparation from Hardaway Jr. Primed to attack. Smart with the ball. Hardway picks him up. Smart misses. The Nuggets shooting a pretty distressing 27% here in the early minutes. Pass to Joic. Now Hardway three-pointer and the Nuggets hit again from Jeep. A goating shot for Hardaway Jr. He can really hurt defenses from downtown. Stan, you know, you think about the release point on Joic’s outside shot. It is tough to get to. Yeah, Kevin, it certainly is. And the problem is if you start to come out of your stance to try to get to that shot, Joic will just pull the ball down and beat you on the drive. And here is Hardway after LeBron James hitting the three. Joic kicks to Brown, shoots from the elbow, moves back up and the rejection by Eaton. Access there denied by DeAndre Aton. And let’s quickly check out the scoring breakdown here for the Lakers. Well, the thing about hitting early threes, it spaces the floor and makes things a lot easier offensively. And the other thing I’ve been impressed with guys is their assertiveness at attacking the paint, trying to hunt for those high percentage looks. And that one misses, right? We see a lot of change in the NBA, but Nicole Joic always seems to stay in the MVP conversation. And not just in it, at the top of it, his ability to affect the game is basically unmatched. He dominates in just about every single aspect. The Nuggets making a switch here. Holmes checked in. Well, you know, a great thing about Joic is the cohesion he brings to the team. His ball movement and teamwork are contagious. Now, here’s Donic. Seven points in the game and he comes up with the deuce. Donic has got nine. I love that they’re continuing to attack despite being up big. Yeah, they’re being absolutely relentless, building this lead in every way possible. Hardway with it, guarded by Donic. Donic with the block. The anticipation is there for Luca on defense in the corner. Smart with it. Donic outside. Smart puts the pick in for Donic. Takes the three. Rebound by the Nuggets to the inside and foul on the shot. So, he’ll get a chance at the line. Well, what else can you do against Joic but get as physical as possible defensively and this is his second trip to the line in the game. Finished the season last year around 80% from the striker. two shots and he makes the first and the Nuggets making a change here. Pickicket’s checked in and Yogic drops them both. And so Donic will bring it up for Los Angeles. 13-point lead and taken away by Brown. There’s the drive. Here’s Picket. And it’s Lravia with the rebound. So it’s the Lakers now. Pass to Cleba at the elbow. Donic. over Brown and it’s Donic missing. The Nugget shooting a mere 25% from the floor in this first quarter. Back to Joic. Pass to pick it. Puts up a three. It’s rebounded by Donic. Donic has got four rebounds now tonight. Smart. And the Lakers with another miss. The Nuggets trail by 13. Outside Hardway, the 11-footer. The Lakers with the rebound. 110 left to play in the first quarter. The drive by Donic. Here’s Larabia. The shots good on the assist by Donic. Donic has got his fifth assist in this one. Here’s Denver now. They’ve been looking out of sync offensively. Yeah, that their offense has ground to a standstill. Here’s Brown to the left side wing. Watson for three. Offensive rebound and it’s Joic in the corner. Watson inside defending. Shot clock at two. Hardway no good. Good D got in his space and disrupted his rhythm. Aned passes to Lavia. 6second difference between shot and game clock. Donic against Brown and it goes down two points. Donic has got 11 points. Once Donic gets inside with the ball, he’s halfway there. Then he just uses his strength to finish the job. Here’s Joic and he got that one up in time but doesn’t go in. And so it’s Los Angeles with an 18-point lead as the quarter comes to a close. And it’s been their rugged defense setting the tone. And we’ll be back with you shortly. And glad to have you with us folks. Second quarter of basketball. This game has not exactly been neck and neck, but plenty of time left in this one. And for the Lakers, this has been the game they wanted to have. Aggressive at running guys to the backboard. You could tell it was part of their game plan coming in. Yeah, we’re not surprised by this. These guys work hard and they are physical. Taking a look at the Lakers. They got back to Cleba. Marcus Smart is out there with Austin Reed. Then there’s Jared Vanderbilt and it’s Laavia in at the three spot. Smart passes to Cleba outside for Smart. Fires the three. That shot is off. The Nuggets trail by 15. on the wing. Hardaway. Valenunis sets a screen for Hardaway. Valenunis dishes to Hardaway. This one for three. Vanderville with the rebound. Los Angeles has gone 0 or two from deep here in the second. Baseline try and it’s in there. He’s got five. Here’s Murray. Murray. Pass to Watson. Here’s Valenjunis. Now Murray uses the glass to finish the layup. Murray’s got five. Well, Greg, you’ve had a long NBA career, so I’m curious, what’s one of the biggest changes you’ve noticed since you’ve retired? Well, you know, one that doesn’t get talked about enough, length. You know, players these days are just longer, especially in the back court and that wing position. Feels like every team has a guy 69 or taller that is a pure perimeter player. Pass to Vanderbilt. Now here’s Smart. Now here’s Clea guarded by Valenunis. Murray against Smart. No good on the triple. The Nuggets trail by 13. And we’re now a little over two and a half minutes into the second quarter. Murray for three. He scores with that shot. Now he’s three of eight. Yeah, that’s Murray unleashing that smooth outside jumper. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He made the decision to huddle up with his guys and talk about strategy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. connect. He’s checked in for Los Angeles. Vincent comes in for Smart. Lakers passing it around. Reeves the pass to Vanderbilt. Reeves with the screen for Vanderbilt. The shot from the low post is good and the Lakers lead by 12. And Matador defense, that’s one of the easiest shots he is ever going to see. An unorganized defense like that is not going to help them close this deficit. Now here’s Valen Junis still without a basket. Six on the shot clock. Pass to Hardway. Three-pointer. Reeves with the rebound. Well, he wants to shoot his way out of this cold spell, but the struggles continue. Yeah, I get it. But you don’t want him forcing things. It’s better to get your shots within the flow of the offense. Not quite enough defense that time around. Just lucky he was off and finish off by Brown. Strong move to the 10 trying to get his guys going. Hard not to get motivated, GA, right when your teammate makes that kind of play. Well, that’s exactly what’s needed when you’re trying to turn things around. Now, here’s Vanderbilt. Reeds the pass to Vanderbilt. Oh, that’s blocked. And so, it looks like the Lakers will change position here. And that kind of stifling effort on defense needs another look. And that has got to help the morale of this team. Let’s see if that sets up a run here. And Los Angeles with some changes. Koko’s checked in and Donic is subbed in for Gabe Vincent. Five on the clock. Donic gets it to go from 18 ft away. Donic has got 13. And it doesn’t take much for Donic to get hot and and once that happens, boy, he is almost unguardable. Now, let’s take a minute to talk to Ally Leor Sports. Ally, thank you. The Nuggets have gotten used to success. Nicole Yokic said, quote, “Winning is a lifestyle for us. It’s really good when you’re winning. Everybody’s happy. Everybody wants to play. Everybody is buying into the system. I was here when we were losing, so I do not want to go back to that.” Kevin, back to you. There’s your good with him in the lineup. Okay, thank you Ally. Here’s Hardway following the bucket by the Lakers. Here’s Joic. Joic just takes what he wants inside. Amazing. The defense has had no answer for Nicola Joic. He’s getting whatever he wants out there. And so JJ Reick will call a timeout. He’s going to take a minute here to get things straightened out. Oh yeah. Do it in terms of motivation. What they said to you all day that you pay in the hall of fame like it’s going to take patience check. You might lose homies. You might fake friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take 10. The real always comes to surface. Do you know your purpose? Oh yeah. I remember you always do it in terms of motivation. what they said to you. all day that you know like it’s going to take patience. Check maintenance. Yeah, you might lose homies. You might make friends. Thought you get it in a year. It might take the service. Do you know your purpose? Yeah. Eighton. He’s checked in for the Lakers. LeBron comes in for Austin Reeves. LeBron outside on the wing. Don pass to Vanderbilt. Lock at six. Gette with a wide open look. And again, the Lakers no good. Finding space on the perimeter, but he couldn’t capitalize. Well, the Nuggets bet on the development of young Christian Brown and and he has rewarded their faith. He has developed so nicely, Kevin. He certainly has. probably has even exceeded what their expectations were for him. But he’s a guy that is such a hard worker. He’s smart. He’s tough. And he’s all about winning. Oh, you got to run LeBron off the ball there. Murray against Donic. got 14. Johnson in the corner, fires for three. Vanderbilt with the rebound. Vanderbilt’s got four rebounds now tonight. Pass to Donic for Aton. He gets it in there. An emphatic Lu jam. Yeah, always amazing to watch a man eight size fly up there like that. for three. Murray gets held in by Los Angeles. Eightton’s got five rebounds tonight. And it’s Donic missing. The Nuggets trail by 15. Here’s Brown. He dents the rim with a two-handed slam. Wow. If you’re open, Joic is going to find you. Pass to Eaton. Back to Dunic. Vanderbilt a screen on Murray. James outside and here’s Donic from the arc and it’s Joic with the rebound. Joic has got rebound number eight here tonight in the game. Back to Brown. Good ball move booming here by the Nuggets. Johnson can’t hit. Los Angeles leading by 13. And it’s connect in the corner. Vanderbilt kicks to LeBron, breaks a big high bounce and goes in. James has got five points now in the quarter. And once James catches fire, just keep feeding the beast. It is that simple. Outside Hardway got a piece of it. Wants to get it to Brown and does. And that one good. I mean, the number of points they’ve scored in the paint already here is eyeoping for Denver. They have gone three of four at the free throw line tonight. Gordon’s checked in for Denver. Bruce Brown comes in for Murray. The Lakers also making some changes. Hatchima comes in for Aton. And Vincent subbed in for Dalton. Connect. One shot. And here’s James. He’ll bring it up for Los Angeles. The three for Dunic. It’s hauled in by the Nuggets. Joic has got nine rebounds in the game. Getting it done. Donic against Johnson to the middle. Cuts off the pass. Hatimura. The pass to Donic. LeBron kicks to Vanderbilt. Honic with a screen on Brown from past the arc. Donic no good. Yeah, really unlike him to have this kind of game from three. Donic against Joic. And the whistle blows. It’s going to be on Luca Donuch. That is his first foul of the game. Austin Reeves has checked in for Vincent. Stay there. Inside and stolen by LeBron. And that one’s good. Hatchimal. Hatchima’s got five. Really well done there. Just confident and composed. Never in a hurry. Brown outside. Johnson outside. The kick out to Brown. Good. And the assist goes to Joic. He’s got seven. Well, hey, you give him some daylight, he can knock it down. LeBron passes to Vanderbilt. James sets the screen for Vanderbilt. Pass to Reeds. James outside. Shot clock at six. Gets it to go from beyond the arc. And the Lakers lead by 14. Joic with a screen on Donic. Johnson outside. Joic sets the screen for Brown down low. It’s tipped. Who’s got James looking it over? Lucky seven drops in. He’s perfect from the floor. Seven for seven. Haven’t we seen that a few times today, guys? I mean, their defense has got to have a little bit more toughness about it. Brown outside. Joic a screen to the inside. A slam by Joic. Well, run into Yic too hard on the screen and you’ll be on the bench for a while. Joic with the steel. Pass to Brown. Back to Joic. And there’s another one for the Nuggets. Putting that pass right in his stride. Didn’t have to slow up and was able to complete the play. Reeves the pass to LeBron. James Cooking from deep. And guys, he’s been a one-man air raid coming at them time and time again. Well, what I love about his three-point shooting is the spacing that he’s adding. It makes things a lot easier for everyone else. Just five on the clock. Here’s Joic. Good work defensively by Hatchima. And so it’s LeBron James making things happen for the Lakers. He put together quite a quarter, 13 points in all, and he looks to be planning for more. Right back after this break. Heat. Heat. And with the second half upon us, we’ll find out if this game becomes the route that it’s threatening to be. What can you say? LeBron James, what an impressive effort today. Yeah, and the bulk of his damage so far has come from the perimeter. a lot of threes early on and defensively they’re giving him too many good looks out there. They need to start running him off the line inside for him. It’s Gordon and Joic in at the guard spots. Murray and Brown and it’s Johnson in at the three slot. That’s the groove that David Adelman’s going out there with to start the second half. Now here’s James Reeves in the corner from outside. Off the mark. The Nuggets trail by 15 in the corner. It’s Brown. Johnson outside. Gets the three-pointer to fall. Johnson’s got the opening bucket to start the second half for the Nuggets. Pass to Eaton. LeBron outside on the wing. Donic. He’s covered by Murray. And it’s Donic missing. Doesn’t register as a block, but he did everything you want defending that shot. Well, you know, sometimes the most pivotal plays don’t always go on the stat sheet. Now, here’s Murray. Eight points for him trying to break that nice gold streak. Up top, Hatche Murray defended by Gordon. Murray outside and stolen by Eaton. And it’s the Lakers on the break. Reeves with it. And it’s Johnson picking him up. Reeves. The pass to Eightton. Hey, get LeBron. Get LeBron. LeBron against Brown. Shot clock at five. No one near Reeves as he lets it go. No good from outside. And so it’s Joic with it. He brings it up for the Nuggets. They haven’t given up any points here in the second half. Brown the pass to Mur. And here’s Joic. He’s covered by Eightton. Eightton against Joic. Rebounded by the Lakers. They led by as many as 18 points. LeBron passes to Donic. Back to James, pulls it up and misses it off the right side of the rim. Well, you can’t play better defense than that, patrolling that mid-range area. And as the days and months go by, Greg, it still may take us some time to get over the shock of last season’s trade of Luca Donic. and we know the question marks as far as conditioning and defense that led to it, but hard to bet against the talent of his caliber. Well, there you go. One team operating on all cylinders at both ends, steals, fast break buckets, and the other team in scramble mode. Now, here’s Joic. 18 points for him. Pass to Brown and it’s Joic missing. Los Angeles leading by 14. And here’s Donic from the arc. It’s good from long range. Donic has got 16 points. He’s got a good handle, excellent body control. Donic is a threat to pull up from anywhere for three. Murray. The Nuggets with another miss. And there have been some terrible shot choices here, Kev. That’s not a good look at all. James finds eight. Hatimura against Gordon with the shot and another basket for the Lakers. Offensively, defensively, they are in total control. Absolutely. They’re playing their game and executing at a real high level. Everything is working for them right now. So, David Adelman’s decided to call a timeout here. Coach is going to take a few minutes to regroup and go over the strategy. Heat. Heat. The Nuggets trail by 19. Murray surveying the D. Now Joic. 18 points for him to halt the run. Drills the three-pointer. Browns got eight. Well, the defense gave that away. He’s a skilled shooter who you have to contest at the arc. Pass to Hatchima. LeBron a screen on Gordon. Back to LeBron and James throws it down. Well, you can see why he’s a go-to guy for them. They trust in his ability to shoulder the offensive load. A nice shot by Brown. Can’t argue with a chance like that. Give me more of those. Now James covered by Johnson. Eightton sets the pick for LeBron. The put back controls the rebound and puts it back up and in. Yeah, some energy from Aton there. Pass to Brown. Switch. And here’s Gordon from outside. The shots good on the assist by Johnson. Gordon’s got his first three points of the game. Now that’s a high percentage look when the D doesn’t fight over the screen. Yeah, it’s certainly worth it to disrupt the offense. Coaches notice that extra effort. Now here’s Aton. Six points for him. Sweet move and that’s two points on the layup. He’s got eight. Yeah, even when it’s contested, that’s a high percentage look great. The Nuggets trail by 17. Go, go, go, go, go. Murray outside. Joic kicks to Johnson. Joic inside. Aton’s there. and Gokic

NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets September 15, 2025 | 2025 NBA Season Live 2K

#nba #lakersvsnuggets #lakers #2025nbaseason

Los Angeles Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Milwaukee Bucks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Washington Wizards Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Chicago Bulls Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs LA Clippers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Atlanta Hawks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Miami Heat Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Orlando Magic Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Brooklyn Nets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Indiana Pacers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Detroit Pistons Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Portland Trail Blazers Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Full Game Highlights
Los Angeles Lakers vs Charlotte Hornets Full Game Highlights

DISCLAIMER: This is a channel that showcases amazing NBA 2K25 (PS5) gameplay strictly for entertainment purposes only.

Intro music – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPal3eNXNDI

nba, lakers vs nuggets, nba full game highlights today, 2025 nba season, lakers vs nuggets highlights, lakers vs nuggets 2025, lakers vs nuggets highlights 2025, lakers vs nuggets, nuggets vs lakers 2025, lakers vs nuggets full game highlights, nba highlights today, nba highlights 2025, nba 2025, lakers, nuggets, nba regular 2025, nba highlights, nba games today, nba today, lakers live today, lal vs nuggets, nba full game highlights

NBA LIVE! Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets September 15, 2025 | 2025 NBA Season Live 2K

Leave a Reply