According to Darvin Ham, the Lakers made several moves in Game 1 that they did not reveal to Nikola Jokic.
In Game 1 of their first-round series, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103, with Nikola Jokic being the standout player. As to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Lakers had no answer for Jokic, but head coach Darvin Ham stated following the game that they still had some tweaks to do against the Serb.
The Nuggets had defeated the Lakers nine times in a row following their first-round victory. Their victory on Saturday was mostly due to Jokic, who finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals.
However, the Lakers led by 12 points at one point in the first half of that game, and the Nuggets did not have a strong start. That was the right moment for Ham to make any tweaks if he truly had ones to make to Jokic. The Lakers have to take advantage of the fact that there’s no assurance they’ll be in that situation in another Denver game this series.
Ham must now make any necessary alterations for Jokic in Game 2. He can’t afford to hold back since this series is finished if the Nuggets take a 2-0 lead. After losing to a team ten times in a row, you are not likely to defeat them four times in six games.
Regardless of what Ham does, I do believe the Lakers will lose this series, but if they play well, he can increase his chances of keeping this position. Although Ham’s strongest supporters don’t seem to be Laker nation or even players like LeBron James, he has apparently had owner Jeanie Buss‘ support.
