Why can’t the Lakers beat the Nuggets?

Why can’t the Lakers beat the Nuggets? https://t.co/KrS7iNjFdY

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 3, 2024

The Lakers fought valiantly once again against Denver, but the result was the same, another close loss to the Nuggets.

It’s no secret the Lakers have struggled against the Denver Nuggets. Heading into Saturday’s matchup, the Nuggets had a seven-game winning streak against the Lakers and while Saturday’s showdown was competitive, the result was the same.

Denver beat Los Angeles 124-114, proving yet again that they are the team to beat in the West and the standard every team hopes to achieve.

There’s no shame in losing to the best, but there is frustration when you lose to said team again and again in a similar fashion.

“I think even if you go back to last year in the playoffs, other than game one maybe… it gets down to the last 3, 4, 5 minutes and it’s a team that really executes and you know that going into the game,” Austin Reaves said postgame. “So you got to be really sharp with what you do on both ends of the court. Yeah, ever since the playoffs last year, they for the most part, beat us in the last four or five minutes and we have to figure out what we have to do to flip that.”

This game wasn’t a new episode of Lakers vs. Nuggets but a re-run we’ve seen too many times to be interested in. It was a close game heading into the fourth, the Lakers had a shot in the closing minutes and, in the end, the combo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokić were too much to handle.

Like Sisyphus being forced to roll a boulder endlessly up a hill as punishment by Hades, Joker and the Nuggets seem to toy with the Lakers.

Michael Porter Jr. goes a perfect 10-10 from the field, Murray hits clutch basket after clutch basket and Joker hits a circus shot off the glass to beat the buzzer, reminding you that he is inevitable.

When asked if there was an answer for Joker, LeBron James was short and quick with his response.

“No, there is none,” James said postgame.

There you have it. Beating the Nuggets is an exercise in futility. It’s just theoretical. Sure, the Nuggets have 19 losses, so it has happened, but not while the purple and gold were on the floor and last year, ultimately, when it mattered, no one beat them in a series and they raised their first banner in franchise history because of it.