-
Dave McMenamin, ESPN staff writer
DENVER — LeBron James missed all six of his three-pointers — including an 0-for-3 mark in the fourth quarter to extend a streak of 19 straight threes he’s failed to convert this postseason. Anthony Davis made 11 of his 15 field goal attempts. And the Los Angeles Lakers dropped back-to-back games for the first time since mid-March, losing Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to the Nuggets, 108-103.
West’s no. A 2-0 deficit against the No. 1 team can seem insurmountable — especially with James and Davis struggling Thursday — as Lakers leaders vow to bounce back with the series shifting to LA.
“I think we improved from Game 1 to Game 2,” James said after finishing with 22 points on 9-19 shooting, 10 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 steals in 40 minutes. “And if we can do the same thing from Game 2 to Game 3, we’ll put ourselves in a position to win.”
After leading by 11 points in the third quarter, the Lakers fell by 12 points in the fourth quarter. They mounted a rally — but Davis missed a three with 3:15 left that would have cut the deficit to two; He missed another three that would have cut it to one with 40.5 seconds left; And James, after stealing a Jamaal Murray pass, missed a layup that could have cut it to two with 26.4 seconds left.
“I liked all the looks I got today,” Davis said after scoring 18 points — less than half of his 40-point output in Game 1 — with 14 rebounds and 4 blocks. “There are very few of them. I’m going to continue to shoot those shots and I’m going to continue to get better, more efficient, help the team win. So, I’m going to get better.”
The Lakers host Game 3 on Saturday (8:30 ET, ABC) at Crypto.com Arena, where they are 7-0 so far this season between the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the play-in round against the Memphis Grizzlies. and the second round against the Golden State Warriors.
But the hard-charging Nuggets — with Nikola Jokic and Murray both looking dominant in the first two games — are a different beast.
However, the Lakers — the second No. 1 to reach the conference finals. 7 seed — not giving up now.
And James, not surprisingly, is backed up by his team. He pushed them to this point as a 38-year-old veteran in his 20th season, and they can’t stop believing in him even now.
“I mean, he can shoot all he wants,” Austin Reeves said. “He’s LeBron James. I don’t think anybody bats an eye when he shoots or questions his shot. He’s been a winning basketball player his whole career, so we want him to take what he feels comfortable with. He wants to win.”
Hamm said after James fell to 0-for-10 from three-point range in the conference finals: “He’s open, they’re playing him. He’s a very capable three-point shooter, he just lets it fly.”
James guarded Jokic for much of the night, feeling the impact of the two-time MVP’s 6-foot-11, 280-pound frame. But James didn’t use fatigue as an excuse for foul shots.
“If you’re not tired in the postseason…” he trailed off. “I mean, everybody’s tired.”
Likewise, he didn’t allow a sprained left ankle late in the fourth to prevent him from suiting up in Game 3. James said he stepped on Aaron Gordon’s foot, but replays showed it was Davis’ foot.
“A little ankle [injury] There’s no stopping me,” James told ESPN.
According to ESPN Stats & Information Research, teams have a 6-56 series record all-time when trailing 2-0 in the conference finals. But two of those comebacks were accomplished by James’ teams — with Cleveland in 2007 and again in 2018.
“We still have to play with the same desperation we did tonight,” James said. “We came out with L but we didn’t get too comfortable. We can’t go into any postseason game comfortable because you haven’t lost at home or you’re going back home.”
It may be the first time the Lakers have trailed all playoffs in a series, but as coach Darwin Hamm reminded reporters before the start of Game 2, it’s not the first time the Lakers have been down this season.
“I was down 2-10, 0-5,” Hamm said, reflecting on his team’s start to October. “You’re not as good as they say you are and you’re not as bad as they say you are. You have to treat each day as its own entity. Every day, every game to go out and get better. Never get too high and never get too low.”
