SUMMARY
- The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
- Gilbert Arenas opines that D'Angelo Russell could help his team defeat the Nuggets.
With the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets first-round matchups just days from commencing, several members of the NBA media have started making their own predictions on which team is expected to come out on top this time. To those who do not know, the Nuggets swept the Lakers in a Western Conference Finals matchup last season and have not lost to the team once in their matchups during the regular season.
As a result, the majority of the NBA community considers the Nuggets to be a clear-cut favorite when compared to the Lakers. However, former NBA star Gilbert Arenas appears to have a different take on their matchup and believes that the Lakers certainly have a decent chance to win their upcoming series against the Nuggets.
Gilbert Arenas believes that the Lakers can defeat the Nuggets in their first-round matchup
The Nuggets ended the season as the 2nd seeded team in the Western Conference and played at an elite level towards the final stretches. Moreover, Nikola Jokic has been playing at an MVP-caliber level once again and is favored to win the award for the third time in his career. Therefore, it might seem unlikely for the Lakers to defeat them given that they have been unable to do so in their last 8 matchups.
Be that as it may, Arenas opined that the Lakers have a good chance to defeat the Nuggets if the other members of their roster step up to the occasion, which wasn’t the case during their last postseason matchup against Denver.
Although Arenas’ prediction was not taken very seriously, there is no denying that he made a valid point. D’Angelo Russell did not play at the expected level last season. While fans may still wonder if his play could have turned a sweep into a victory for the Lakers last year, Gilbert Arenas certainly thinks he is impactful enough to help his team win this time around.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves could pave the way for the Lakers against the Nuggets
As far as the best two players on either side are concerned, both teams are relatively even-matched. Therefore, this series’ outcome will come down to the production level from the other members of their respective rosters. D’Angelo Russell has played quite well together this season. His impact on the court alongside LeBron and AD will undoubtedly play a huge role in determining the Lakers’ success.