LeBron James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and he seems to defy time. Anthony Davis is scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds a game this series – the best postseason numbers of his career, and 10 more points than he averaged last year. But neither player is making a difference. The Denver Nuggets are inevitable.
The Lakers were 112-105 losers on Thursday night, their seventh consecutive postseason loss – all to the Nuggets. It was also the 11th-straight time overall that the Nuggets have beaten L.A., and they now have a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
On Saturday, it’s Game 4 in L.A., and Denver is a three-point favorite to win and take the sweep. Or you can skip the game bet and just put your money on the Nuggets to win the series. They are now paying -20000 to close out their Western Conference rivals.
James finished the game with 26 points and nine assists, which look good on the surface. But he was just 1-for-6 from the three-point line, and not one of his six rebounds came on the offensive glass. On the other side, the Nuggets had four players top 20 points – Nikola Jokić, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray. Both Gordon and Jokić added 15 rebounds, and five offensive rebounds each.
L.A. is done for another postseason, and the only question left is if it will be a sweep, or if the series has to go back to Denver to be decided.
The Future in L.A.
The Lakers had to play their way into the playoffs, and they are playing themselves right out of them. And what does this mean for the team going forward? Is head coach Darvin Ham safe? Does this roster need a reset? Is James still capable of putting a team on his back and carrying them to a championship? Is drafting Bronny James a good idea?
We all know that LeBron James wants to play with his son, Bronny James. The Lakers as an organization would love to make it happen for their superstar, and in a city that loves a good story, the pairing of the two on the basketball court would make for a good one.
The betting odds have L.A. as the big favorite to draft him in June, at +250. No one else is paying less than +1000. But for the future of the Lakers, is that a good pick? For a team that appears to have a lot of questions that need addressing, is Bronny one of the answers?
The reality is that if his last name wasn’t James, the Lakers wouldn’t even consider drafting him. In his one truncated season with USC, he averaged 4.8 points and shot just 36% from the floor. He’s nowhere close to being an NBA-ready prospect.
But keeping your star happy is important, and playing alongside his son would make him happy.
Is this organization about getting back to winning, or doing favors for their stars? And perhaps both things can co-exist. We’ll find out the last week of June.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
