Lakers News: 3 Ways LA Can Try To Fight Back From 0-3 WCF Deficit Against Denver
Your Los Angeles Lakers could try a few things to at least get one win in this Western Conference Finals series. LA currently trails the Denver Nuggets 0-3. Game 4, now a must-win for Los Angeles, is tonight.
3. Blitz Jamal Murray.
The Nuggets' star point guard has been a bucket for Denver throughout the series, but head coach Darvin Ham seemed to unlock something during the second half of Game 3, when he started sending out frequent double team coverages against Murray.
2. Give Austin Reaves the ball late.
In the latest episode of his eponymous podcast on The Ringer, Bill Simmons noted how he wished LA's starting shooting guard was allowed to make plays more frequently in Game 3's fourth quarter home stretch. Honestly I don't hate it. Taking the ball out of the hands of one of the best ball handlers in the history of the league, LeBron James, might on its face seem strange, but there's no denying that James clearly seems spent by the ends of these games, and often settles ill-advised pull-up threes or struggles to finish around the rim. Letting Reaves cook could help rest James a bit on the floor, so that he's more effective in a less demanding off-ball role late.
1. Start Dennis Schröder and Rui Hachimura.
There have been rumblings of Darvin Ham making this move at least since the end of Game 1, when LA's guard-heavy first five got obliterated by the bigger Nuggets. Ham did make a tweak to his starting lineup, elevating 6'9" power forward Jarred Vanderbilt back into a starting role while demoting Schröder.
But it's clear that Schröder and Hachimura deserve to start in this series ahead of D'Angelo Russell and Vanderbilt, respectively.
It's do-or-die time, LA. Let's see what you've got.
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