Officially, the Lakers and Nuggets have to play one more game before this series ends. But nothing could be more powerful in promoting the league's return to a five-game series in the first round.
The ending of Thursday's Game 3 felt like the final game of the series, with one team admitting they weren't strong and the other ready to move on to the next round. Unfortunately for both sides, there is still Game 4 left.
But the writing was on the wall, and the Lakers themselves wrote it. Saturday will likely be a formality.
For now, here are three big takeaways from Thursday's loss.
Lakers have personnel issues
One thing that stood out in the Game 3 loss was the players the Lakers had on the court. That doesn't mean “why doesn't Durvin Ham play in small lineups?” it means “why doesn't Durvin Ham play with certain players?”
Many of the Lakers' problems in this series stem from Rui Hachimura's inability to play. He played 28 minutes and scored five points on Thursday, but couldn't stand up in key moments.
In most games this season, Base was able to discipline this odd man out of the lineup and thrive. Denver doesn't have any weirdos, and they don't have anyone to punish offensively. And if he can't contribute offensively, it's even harder to accept his deficiencies on defense.
He's not attentive enough to stick with Aaron Gordon, but neither was LeBron James on Thursday. He also isn't quick enough to compete with Michael Porter Jr. on the perimeter. He's also not big enough to stop Nikola Jokic. He has no one to protect him.
This is a huge problem for a Lakers team without Jared Vanderbilt or Christian Wood. And it was clear early in Game 1 that Dervin Ham didn't trust Jackson Hayes, who had mixed reviews in limited minutes. So if the Lakers have three frontcourt players in LeBron, Louis, and Anthony Davis and one of them doesn't stay on the floor defensively, kidding, the Lakers have a big problem. It will be.
This forced Hamm to play either in a three-guard lineup or forward with Taurean Prince, and as expected, Denver was back on the glass. If you were to scenario a scenario for the Lakers who don't have the answer to the problem the Nuggets are presenting, that would be crazy.
losing team
The Lakers started the game with encouraging energy, especially on defense. However, as the game settled down in the middle of the game and the Nuggets started hitting players with grounders, the Lakers gradually lost their vitality.
By the start of the fourth quarter, it looked like the Lakers had made an inevitable run. This inning was a close game with no runs allowed. The score was deceptive, thanks to Austin Reeves scoring 10 points in the closing minutes.
In fact, this was a team that realized they didn't have what it took to beat a Denver team. This is the price that 10 consecutive losses, including the painful loss in Game 2, have cost the team.
Denver is a really nice place.
It's not a very passionate view, so I'll write it down now. Denver is on the verge of winning a title this year.
No one can stop this team. Admittedly, they have a bit thin depth on the bench, so they have to rely on their starters a little more. But I think it's really important to point that out because there's no one even close to what the Nuggets are right now.
The Lakers are a really good team. They have been 2 months. Like most teams in the NBA, they have flaws. Denver is amazingly good at finding those flaws, pointing them out, and completely dismantling teams. For example, Louie can't play because Denver is targeting him.
Denver is a team with no weaknesses on offense. There is no one to hide from. If Murray goes 8-21 in this game, Aaron Gordon will score 29 points with 15 boards. If Nikola Jokic has a more human performance with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 points, Michael Porter Jr. will likely score 15 points in the second half.
There's a lot of attention on what the Lakers are doing wrong or not doing, but Denver has no answers. It's not a seven-game series, and in the case of the Lakers, he's not even in one game.
Thursday felt like the Lakers realized that for the first time.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter. @JacobRude.
