Despite LeBron James scoring the 40,000th point of his NBA career on Saturday night, the Los Angeles Lakers fell short against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. After the game, LeBron offered a grim outlook for the Lakers, and any team that might match up against Jokić going forward.
Jokić, as he so often does, dominated Saturday’s game in multiple facets. Not only was Jokić the game’s leading scorer, finishing with 35 points, but he added 10 rebounds and seven assists, helping lead Denver to a 124-114 road victory over Los Angeles.
Realistically speaking, can anything be done to stop Jokić? LeBron was asked after the game if there was a potential answer for Jokić. His answer was not sugarcoated.
“No,” he said, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum. “There is none.”
The Lakers have certainly had their fill of Jokić. Last season, Denver and Los Angeles met in the Western Conference Finals. Not only did the Nuggets sweep the Lakers, but Jokić was named series MVP averaging a triple-double with 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists per game. Saturday’s game also completed a regular season sweep for Denver against Los Angeles, with Jokić averaging 29.3 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists over the three games.
LeBron’s take might paint a bleak picture for the Lakers, the Western Conference and the NBA. But it’s also hard to dispute anything he said.
[Mike Trudell on Twitter/X]
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