LeBron James has been a part of many close playoff games in his 21-year NBA career. Game 2 of the Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers was another instance where the four-time champion was involved in a nail-biting playoff matchup. Despite trailing by 20 points at one point, the defending champions, Nuggets showed great character to make their way back into the game.
The Lakers looked splendid in the first half and walked away with a 15-point lead. However, a massive second-half performance from the Nuggets meant that they were able to secure a 101-99 win on the night. LeBron James had a great outing, scoring 26 points on the night. He also had some big buckets down the stretch to help the Purple and Gold stay in the game. But when it mattered the most, King James came up short, which might cost the Lakers this series against the Nuggets.
On the second-last possession of the game, the Lakers had a chance to kill the game. The ball was in the hands of LeBron James and the kind of night he was having, many expected him to make a game-winning play. LBJ pushed off Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope who was guarding him and made room for an open three. He took a second to prepare for the shot and fired it, but it did not go on and this resulted in the Nuggets getting the final possession. Jamal Murray took control of things and hit a tough mid-range shot over Anthony Davis to give the Nuggets a 2-0 lead in the series.
LeBron James’ closing ability is questionable
LeBron James has won nearly every reward that is available in the NBA. His IQ is second to none and his ability to lead his troops has helped him win a lot of appreciation from players and fans in the basketball community. Although he has been tearing it up in Year 21, which is not a common phenomenon, there is one part of his game, where the King has fallen short.
Throughout his career, LeBron James has gotten the ball down the stretch on several occasions and although he has made it count on many occasions, there are games when he misses buckets in the clutch. The open miss against the Nuggets is certainly going to cost the Lakers as they are now 2-0 down in the series.
According to Stathead, LeBron James has shot only 20-114 field goal attempts to either win or tie the game in the last five seconds. The four-time champion has shot only 17.5% from the field and 12.3% from three-point range during this time.
LeBron James will have to do something special to help the Lakers
LeBron James is going to face some heavy criticism for his miss against the Nuggets, but that is due to the high standards he has set over the years. He managed to help them stay in contention but was not able to carry them over the line. This Nuggets team is ruthless and it will need something special from LeBron James if the Lakers are to come back into the series.
The next two games are going to be played at the Crypto.com Arena. Home teams are yet to lose a game in this year’s playoffs and the Lakers will be hoping that this trend continues in Games 3 and 4. LeBron James will certainly be hoping to drop a big performance in those matchups as he is keen to add another championship to his already-stacked resume.
