Lakers raise alarm bells with lack of effort against Nuggets

Losing to the Nuggets is one thing, but the Lakers’ failure to try is a step too far, making Saturday’s defeat alarming.

LOS ANGELES – It takes no in-depth analysis to state that the Nuggets have the Lakers’ number.

Over the past two postseasons, Denver has gone 8-1 across a pair of series, eliminating the Lakers in each. Last year, during the regular season, Denver swept Los Angeles.

Saturday night was another reminder that when these two teams face each other, it’s a father-son matchup and the Nuggets are daddy.

Denver pummeled Los Angeles, beating them 127-102. It wasn’t that they lost, but how that was so frustrating.

During the 16 minutes from the end of the second quarter to the early parts of the fourth, the Nuggets went on a steamrolling 50-17 run.

Nikola Jokić was a magician against L.A. and pulled out all his usual tricks.

Ridiculous 3-point attempts somehow went in and mesmerizing passes to Jamal Murray led to dunks. We even witnessed some Joker steals that got Denver easy looks at the basket.

This isn’t the first, second or third time the Lakers have melted like a chocolate bar left inside a car too long during the second half versus the Nuggets.

They led every game at halftime in last year’s playoffs and lost four of the five matchups. On Saturday, they were up again to start the third 63-57, but the effort level was the biggest difference between this game and the others.

The Lakers made a business decision. They collectively decided that if they were, in fact, Sisyphus forced to push the boulder that is the Nuggets up a hill they could never reach, the best thing to do was to stop trying.

Instead of losing due to a Murray dagger or an incredible clutch play by Joker, you can just get blown out. The Lakers accepted their fate and played dead until Redick took the starters out of their misery with 4:23 left in the game.

Such an effort and display from any team is unacceptable. Had half the stadium stayed for the entirety of the game, they most certainly would’ve booed. However, given the Lakers’ effort during the second half, they physically left while the team checked out mentally.

A stewing Redick discussed his displeasure with the team’s effort level postgame.

“Schematically, certainly, we’ll have to review some stuff,” Redick said. “Clearly, the spirit to compete just wasn’t there.”

The question is, why wasn’t the spirit there?

Denver has owned Los Angeles, and with this being a new year, shouldn’t there be energy to prove that those demons from the past are just issues from before?

When it comes to the concept of the Lakers being haunted by the Nuggets, Redick isn’t a buyer.

“I have a pretty clear idea of what happened,” Redick said postgame. “Whatever it was, it was not because we were haunted by the ghosts of the past or something like that. It was kind of obvious to me what happened there; just not the right spirit.”

Longtime Lakers broadcaster Stu Lantz had a different perspective on Saturday’s events, which he shared on the Spectrum Sportsnet broadcast during the game’s closing minutes.

“The Lakers should be happy about that [not facing the Nuggets again until Feb. 22]. Until they can prove from a mental standpoint that they can handle this club.”

Whether you believe in the Nuggets haunting the Lakers or not, it’s clear they’ve dominated this matchup.

Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is that Denver is just head-and-shoulders better than Los Angeles and barring a major roster shakeup, when these two play each other, it’s the Nuggets’ game to lose.

With the rematch between these two being months away the Lakers will have to bitterly swallow this pill and move on.

Hopefully, they will remember what happened in this game when they face Denver again and bring a level of effort appropriate for a professional basketball team.

Because while losing is bad, not trying is worse.

In a Western Conference where 12 teams currently have a .500 or better winning percentage, performances like Saturday’s from the Lakers are a one-way ticket to the bottom of the standings.

And if they end up there, the next place to go will not be a destination anyone wants to discuss.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.