In the aftermath of a heartbreaking Game 1 loss on Tuesday night, the Lakers appeared to have their sights set on tying this series at 1-1 in the early goings of Thursday’s contest, as LeBron James and co. went to the midway break of Game 2 leading Denver by a score of 53-48, but out of nowhere, Jamal Murray caught fire and erupted for 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the second half for the Nuggets, and Denver managed to escape with a second straight victory, as well as a 2-0 series lead.
The Nuggets did everything in their power to give away Game 2. Nikola Jokic scored just 23 points on 9-of-21 field goal attempts, and as a team, they shot just 43% from the field. Denver also shot eight less free throw attempts than the Lakers, and turned the ball over three more times in the contest.
However, none of Denver’s shortcomings moved the needle enough to overshadow L. A.’s abysmal shooting performance. Anthony Davis was the standout underperformer. He scored just 18 points on 4-of-15 shot attempts, which to a certain extent, was indicative of how the Lakers played as a team in Game 2, considering they posted combined clips of 44% from the field and 27% from three-point range in the loss.
LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell certainly didn’t bring their A-Game in Game 2 either. LeBron scored just 22 points and clunked all six of his three-point attempts, while Russell scored just 10 points and made 1-of-5 long-range attempts.
Truth be told, the only members of the Lakers that truly brought their best stuff in Game 2 was Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who combined for 43 points on 59% from the field and 60% from three-point in the loss.
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