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The Los Angeles Lakers were outrebounded in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
As Laker fans, we’ve seen a lot of exciting playoff victories in the final seconds. Unfortunately, after sinking the game-winning triple to secure Game 2, Anthony Davis failed to get that high to a great performance in Game 3 for the Los Angeles Lakers. His rebound numbers were particularly concerning.
In the second half of Game 3, Anthony Davis approached the free throw line as a very revealing graphic of the TNT folks appeared on the screen:
In 33 minutes of action, Davis couldn’t grab a single rebound!
By the end of the game, the power forward had grabbed just two boards. Unfortunately, the Lakers’ rebounding woes didn’t stop there. The Lakers’ front court was comprised of Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee and Davis combined for just four total rebounds.
To put that in perspective, Danny Green matched the Lakers’ entire frontcourt rebounding production. On the opposite side, 6’4 Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray was twice as productive with eight rebounds.
In a game that saw the Lakers trailing by 20 points at one point, the rebounding discrepancy is a glaring problem that head coach Frank Vogel will need to address before Game 4.
When the dust settled late in Game 3, the Lakers were outrebounded 44-25. Despite their size, the Lakers were near the bottom of the top ten in rebounding this season. Still, the Nuggets ranked 20th in rebounds per game of the regular season.
In the playoffs, the Lakers are seventh in rebounding with Denver significantly behind at 13th place. To put that in perspective, only 16 teams made it to the postseason putting Denver in the bottom 25% of teams. The Lakers were in the better half.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Anthony Davis’ two rebounds make this his second worst rebounding night of the season. Of course, a statistic is almost never the only reason for a loss.
To make matters worse, LeBron James also had one of his worst games in terms of free throws. His simple two shots down the line tie his lowest performance this postseason.
Collectively, the Lakers were outshot 29-22 at the free throw line. Sometimes it can be argued that discrepancies in free throws are a sign of poor refereeing. However, it’s pretty clear that the Lakers’ rebound totals and 6-26 shooting from behind the arc would suggest an overall lack of aggression.
With many failed 3s that result in long rebounds, it’s not as easy to rebound as a center in the NBA as it used to be. As a result, Howard, McGee and Davis are not the only culprits. Lakers guards will need to do a good job of crashing the boards to avoid another bad start on the glass.
Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman said it best:
“I’m hungrier than the other kids out there. Each bounce is a personal challenge. “
Said eloquently. Bouncing is just that: an effort statistic. Unlike Rodman, the Lakers were packed Tuesday night. With Jokic shooting more than twice as many rebounds as the entire Lakers frontline, hunger was definitely the problem. Hopefully the Laker greats will fast before game 4.
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