Credit: ESPN/Twitter
After losing their first game against Denver Nuggets, LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers lost another Western Conference Finals match against Nikola Jokic's side on Thursday in the NBA Playoffs 2023. The four-time MVP, James blew a wide-open dunk during the first half of the game which could take the Lakers on a 10-point lead against the Nuggets.
Denver defeated LA Lakers 108-103 at the Ball Arena to take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series as Jamal Murray registered game-high 37 points with 10 rebounds and five assists followed by Nikola Jokic's another triple-double with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists.
The Lakers managed a four-point lead at the end of the first half, however, Darwin Ham's side failed to capitalize from the front and lost the game by five points. LeBron James and Austin Reaves scored 22 points each for the Lakers but were unable to win the game for their side. In the second quarter, the Lakers had a chance to expand their lead to 10 points but LeBron James miserably failed to score a wide-open dunk, which could have been a reverse slam dunk.
Anthony Davis blocked Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's attempt and Lakers' Rui Hachimura passed the ball to Lebron, who was wide-open in the opponents' half. However, a rare moment took place as the ball slipped away from the Lakers forward just before he tried to reverse slam a dunk. The home crowd was delighted to see the 38-year-old James missing an easy chance while the fans also trolled the Lakers forward on social media.
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While LeBron James and Anthony Davis played a strong defensive game against the Nuggets in the Finals Game 2, they lacked offensively as they recorded below 50 percent from the field and LeBron missed all his six three-point attempts. Although Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura stepped up for the Purple and Gold outfit, their efforts fell short as the Nuggets pulled the result in their favor.
The Lakers are scheduled to host the Nuggets for Game 3 of their Conference Finals at the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday, June 20. LeBron James and Co. will look to get their first win against the Nuggets in the playoffs to become the Western champions and qualify for the NBA Finals 2023.