Los Angeles Lakers hope to exploit absence of Denver Nuggets’ big men in NBA

DENVER – The Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets forged a rivalry through the play-offs over the past six National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons, so when they play in the regular season it carries more meaning.

That rivalry will be renewed on Jan 20 (Jan 21 morning, Singapore time) when Los Angeles visit Denver for the first of three meetings in the 2025-26 season.

The Lakers have scuffled lately, losing five of six games before beating the Toronto Raptors 110-93 on Jan 18 night. The slump dropped Los Angeles to sixth in the competitive Western Conference standings midway through the regular season.

“Well, it’s not a bad record,” Luka Doncic said on Jan 18 night of the Lakers’ 25-16 mark. “Obviously it could be better, but sometimes we play like this and we played against Atlanta (a 141-116 Los Angeles win on Jan 13). It gives us a better chance to win. So just got to look at those two games and play like that.”

Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (33.3 points per game) and tops his team in assists (8.6 per game), was named an All-Star starter on Jan 19 while LeBron James, who is third on the Lakers in scoring (22.6 per game), was not.

It is the first time since his rookie season in 2003-04 that he will not start the All-Star Game, a league-record streak of 21 years.

Los Angeles still do not have Austin Reaves (left calf strain), but Deandre Ayton is healthy and could be a factor against the Nuggets. Ayton logged 25 points and 13 rebounds in the win over the Raptors and made all 10 of his shots.

He has a chance for another big night against an undersized Denver team. The Nuggets have played smaller line-ups with starting centre Nikola Jokic (knee) and his backup Jonas Valanciunas (calf) sidelined, and have found success.

When forward Aaron Gordon missed the Jan 18 game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Nuggets’ disadvantage grew. The Hornets dominated down low, outrebounding Denver 52-29 and compiling a 62-32 scoring edge in the paint on their way to an easy 110-87 win.

Jokic, who was also named a starter for the All-Star Game in February, or Valanciunas would have helped on Jan 18, and the Nuggets still will not have either available against the Lakers.

“Jokic just dominates that team, especially on the boards, and Big Val (Valanciunas) would’ve done the same,” Denver’s Jamal Murray said after the loss to Charlotte. “We know what we’re capable of, but it’s tough to gang rebound every single night.”

Jokic leads Denver in scoring (29.6 per game), rebounding (12.2 per game) and assists (11.0 per game). Murray has a chance to also make the All-Star squad as a reserve, which would be the first nod of his nine-year career.

Murray, who is averaging career highs in scoring (25.9 per game), assists (7.3 per game) and three-point shooting (44.7 per cent), has carried a heavier scoring load in Jokic’s absence. He is averaging 29.9 points through seven games in January, having put up 33 or more points four times. However, he was limited to 16 points and two assists in the Jan 18 defeat.

Meanwhile in NBA action on Jan 19, Tobias Harris scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics in a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown.

The win sees Detroit improve to 31-10 and extend their lead at the top of the East to 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat.

Elsewhere, the hosts New York Knicks slumped to their fourth straight loss with a surprising 114-97 defeat by the Dallas Mavericks. Max Christie led all scorers with 26 points after drilling a career-high eight three-pointers.

Western Conference top dogs the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to winning ways with a 136-104 pummeling of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 30 points.

Two days after suffering an upset defeat by Miami on Jan 17, the reigning NBA champions ensured there would be no repeat against Cleveland. REUTERS, AFP