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The Los Angeles Lakers starters had a great Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, but the reserves were just as good at keeping control of the game and providing Los Angeles with an easy win.
The Los Angeles Lakers earned a convincing Game 1 victory against the Denver Nuggets. Even more encouraging is the contribution the bank made to the 1-0 lead.
We know full well that depth is one of the deciding factors for a team’s success in the postseason and is especially crucial for the Lakers in these Western Conference Finals, versus a deep Nuggets team. That’s certainly one of the things that has made them such a formidable threat in the playoffs.
In fact, the Denver bench beat Los Angeles 53-48. However, the Lakers bench was simply better. They shot 6 of 11 from three, had 15 assists and seven steals. LeBron James went scoreless in the second half, simply because there was no need.
His defensive effort was clearly what made the difference. In the crucial first seven minutes of the second quarter, when the majority of LA’s backups were on the floor, they allowed the Nuggets just five points.
Dwight Howard, who made his significant return to the court after playing just 15 minutes in all of the Conference Semifinals, proved his worth in the series, holding Nikola Jokic to seven points and two fouls during the 16 minutes he spent in the court. He also had 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Unsurprisingly, he received the initial go-ahead in the second half, thanks to the work done on the Joker.
Months ago when Howard was signed by the Lakers, we talked about what his incorporation would bring, and his defensive work against other centers was a focal point. Although JaVale McGee is a great shot blocker, he doesn’t represent much opposition to the big men in the post.
This is exactly the time for Dwight to shine and do his best in what he can do best, giving the Lakers a great hand to advance to the next round.
Markieff Morris was another one with a great performance, scoring nine points on 3 of 4 of three, plus two steals. Kyle Kuzma had his usual good game with 11 points and four rebounds, and Alex Caruso contributed five points, four assists and the perimeter defense that he never fails to contribute to the game.
After nearly having a triple-double in Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals, followed by a quiet Game 5, Playoff Rondo brought the bench to success once again. In just 21 minutes, he had seven points and nine assists without turnovers, adding two steals and one in three from one attempt.
He threw balloons at Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis all over the floor. His chemistry with AD, developed in their season together in New Orleans in 2018, is something that is becoming increasingly important in the Lakers’ on-court dynamic.
We could probably have seen something similar with DeMarcus Cousins, if he could have played. After all, they spent two seasons together, one in Sacramento in 2016 and the other in NOLA along with Davis.
In these playoffs, the bench suddenly and unexpectedly became a productive and reliable tool for the Los Angeles Lakers, making the additions of Dion Waiters and JR Smith at the end of the season seem unnecessary. They are on the right track and it seems that they are not going to take the nights off. Continuing down this path could mean an easier series than anticipated.
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