The Los Angeles Lakers are staring into the face of elimination for Game 4 of their first-round matchup against the defending champion Denver Nuggets after dropping the first three games.

This would make for a somber ending to the season, getting swept by the Nuggets in back-to-back postseasons and losing what would be 12 straight to Denver.

Up to this point, no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a series, meaning the writing could be on the wall for the Lakers heading into Saturday’s matchup. But this does not mean L.A. should concede and accept defeat as there has to be some semblance of fight.

The same plan applies, the purple and gold have to play seemingly perfect basketball against the defending champions if they want to pick up a series win. However, things have fallen apart in the second half in all three games, so sureing up the lapse coming out of the locker room is necessary to turn the tide.

All eyes are on D’Angelo Russell after coming off a scoreless performance in Game 3. As his future with the Lakers hangs in the balance, he needs a bounce-back performance to restore some hope in himself and remain with the team.

That’s in addition to Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who have also experienced offensive struggles in this series. This could be in part of the defensive workload as Reaves is defending Jamal Murray and Hachimura is spending some time guarding Nikola Jokic. So getting them going early in the first quarter will be key as L.A. needs their role players to step up.

However, head coach Darvin Ham needs to get the role players going in a structured manner, as a free-flowing offense is not going to get it done against a good Nuggets defense. There are many variables to factor in if the Lakers are going to beat Denver, but this game may boil down to the mental fortitude of the team.

With the defending champions beating them in every which way, it is easy to phone it in and look forward to the offseason. This could be the case early because Denver is going to want to put away L.A. early. While the Lakers have had success in the early going of games, the Nuggets will want to handle business to be the first team to advance and get some rest before their next series.

The Lakers are getting Christian Wood back after a two-plus month absence with a knee injury, although it remains to be seen if he will be thrown into the fire in a must-win game, even if L.A. can use some help on the glass.

Los Angeles Lakers (0-3) vs. Denver Nuggets (3-0)

5:30 p.m. PT, April 27, 2024
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA

Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:

PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Anthony Davis

Key Reserves: Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood

Projected Nuggets Starting Lineup:

PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

Key Reserves: Reggie Jackson, Peyton Watson, Christian Braun