The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling against the Denver Nuggets for a long time. Back in 2023, the Lakers were utterly dominated by the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Taking a leaf out of their loss, the Lakers immediately added some strength to their squad. But that, too, did not bring any significant changes. The Lakers lost all their four regular-season games last year against the Nuggets. This time, the Los Angeles-based side made yet another change.
They replaced Darvin Ham with JJ Redick as the head coach. Thus, with so many permutations and combinations being executed by the Lakers, they surely looked like a team on a mission this season. Having won three of their opening games, the purple and gold brigade made their fans rejoice in excitement. Unfortunately, the fun was short-lived as the Lakers once again faltered against the Denver Nuggets.
Austin Reaves didn't hold back after losing to the Nuggets again.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 24, 2024
(via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/OlZJsj9ZeX
Frustrated at the outcome of the game, Lakers’ Austin Reaves lashed out at the team. “Last year was last year… Tonight they beat the s**t out of us.” This was a reference to when the Lakers managed to beat the Nuggets in the first-round playoff series. Meanwhile, as Anthony Davis and LeBron James had an off day, Reaves tried to salvage some momentum for the Lakers. And well, Reaves was not the only one to feel frustrated about the loss.
JJ Redick Felt A ‘Lack Of Spirit’ From The Lakers’ Players
Just like Austin Reaves, Lakers’ head coach, JJ Redick also had some harsh words to direct at his team. While the team blew away a significant lead in the third quarter, things turned out to be quite somber for the Los Angeles Lakers. Thus, expressing his frustration at the blowout loss, Redick felt that the spirit was missing from his players.
“Schematically, certainly we’ll have to review some stuff, clearly, the spirit to compete just wasn’t there… We’ll solve it like we solve other problems… But obviously, we’ll do it internally,” opined Redick after the humiliating defeat. Thus, with things getting a little tight at the Lakers’ end, it remains to be seen how they can come back from the slump in the future.
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