The Los Angeles Lakers have seen their last two playoff runs end at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, first in a conference finals sweep and then in a first-round loss where they managed to steal just one game. Denver has been their roadblock, and with Nikola Jokic still operating at an MVP level, the challenge isn’t going away.
However, having Luka Doncic on the roster gives the Lakers a different kind of weapon. Everyone knows there’s no clear answer for Nikola Jokic on the defensive end, but the theory is simple for Lakers optimists. If you can’t stop him, you just have to outscore him.
But not everyone is buying into the optimism, especially renowned media personality Stephen A. Smith. He believes the Lakers must do everything possible to avoid Denver in the playoffs because if they run into the Nuggets again, he expects the same outcome.
“If the Lakers end up as the sixth seed and Denver ends up three. Then, they get Denver in the first round again, then they’re going home. They’re not beating them; I can assure you of that. I don’t care what anybody says,” Smith said. “They went to the Western Conference Finals two years ago, they ran into Denver. Last year, they got Denver in the first round; a lot of people were off the mindset outside of Denver; there was no one the Lakers couldn’t beat… you do everything to avoid the Denver Nuggets.”
“[If the Lakers] get Denver in the first round again, they’re going home.”
@stephenasmith says the Lakers should “do everything they can” to avoid playing the Nuggets in the playoffs
pic.twitter.com/bUKhK7J8vi
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 19, 2025
