The Nuggets immediately fell behind again, digging themselves a big hole when Jokic and Murray each picked up three fouls in the first half that just got deeper in the second half.Davis scored 14 points in the first quarter, but the Nuggets shot nearly 64 per cent, with Murray’s three-pointer as time expired giving them a 38-36 lead.Alex Caruso converted a three-point play to open the second and start a 17-1 run by the Lakers to start the period and make it 53-39 before the Nuggets made their first field goal after more than five minutes.The lead stayed right around there for the remainder of the half, as the Lakers paraded to the foul line while Jokic, Murray and Paul Millsap went the bench with three fouls. LeBron and Westbrook didn't suit up for this one. George was ridiculed for it, even though technically he was right: The Clippers should contend again next year. Can AD and the Lakers make them pay or will the Rockets dictate the tempo of the games and play the Lakers' bigs off the floor?Up until a rough Game 7 against the Thunder in which he made just 4 of 15 shots, the Beard had been in great form since the season restart.In seven seeding games, he averaged 34.1 points, 8.9 assists, and 8.3 rebounds on 53.9% shooting from the field. They led the league during the regular season (.With their small-ball line-up, the Rockets are willing to get outrebounded by a large margin while looking to compensate for that with their 3-point shooting. Get team statistics for the Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers basketball game. To order NBA 2019-2020. Westbrook was the game's top-scorer with 41 points.For the Lakers, Anthony Davis balled out in this one, stuffing the stat sheet. Los Angeles shot a whopping 24 free throws in the period — more baskets than either team made in the half — and led 70-59 at the break.An 11-2 burst in the third blew it open at 92-71 and the Lakers cruised home.Before the game, Lakers coach Frank Vogel expressed surprise that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo finished so far ahead of James in voting for the league MVP award, receiving 85 first-place votes to James’ 16.“No disrespect for Giannis — Giannis had a great season, he’s a great player — but what LeBron does for our team to me is unparalleled,” Vogel said. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. On the other hand, the Lakers have been well-rested. It's natural for numbers, especially efficiency-wise, to drop in the playoffs but he carried over the seeding-games form to the Thunder series, averaging 29.7 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.3 rebounds on 46.5% shooting from the field. Who will be dictate the tempo of the games and gain the upper hand? It's a match-up of two different styles of play - the Rockets' super-small-ball against the Lakers' traditional style of paint and fastbreak play. That game was played at the Staples Center, just hours after the deadline for the mid-season trade window on Feb. 6.This was the first game the Rockets were playing since they embraced their super-small-ball philosophy. He finished the game with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. All Rights Reserved. LeBron James had 18 points and 15 assists but the team struggled to knock down 3-pointers efficiently, making only nine of their 31 attempts (29.1%) while giving up 19 3-pointers (45.2%).The first of the other two games was played in Houston on Jan. 18. Harden went off for 39 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in a comfortable 113-97 win, which was sealed by a 19-8 run over the final 7:10 minutes of the game.No matter which matchup the Rockets throw at Anthony Davis, they would be giving up length or speed and how the Lakers utilize that mismatch should define the result of this series and how long it goes.The 6'10" forward holds the key on both ends of the floor but especially on offense. For 3-point makes, the Lakers rank 12th in the playoffs (12.0) and 23rd in the regular season (11.0).So, Davis must be the dual threat of a shooter and a passer from the post, both of which will open up shots for the Lakers in their half-court offense.On defense, the Lakers would most likely play their traditional centers in JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard limited minutes, giving Davis enough rest to play center in their small-ball line-ups.Meanwhile, the Rockets score a bulk of their points from beyond the arc. They are unfazed by a 1-0 deficit, and they always believe they can come back because they just did it twice.But here is another way to look at it: If you have one successful night of drunk knife-juggling, you might think of yourself as a professional drunk knife-juggler who can drunkenly juggle knives whenever he feels like it. They are the only two first-team All-NBA players still playing, and they give the Lakers both star power and flexibility. NBA Playoffs 2020: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets series preview.