Nuggets domination: Breezing by Lakers again, Jokić’s style and D-Lo’s downfall

LOS ANGELES — You know how you can tell that the Denver Nuggets have complete and utter ownage of these Lakers? They don’t even bother to gloat about it anymore.

Never mind that their 112-105 win in Game 3 on Thursday night made it 11 straight against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company, or that they’re on the verge of sweeping them into the summer for a second consecutive campaign. A quick trip around the visitor’s locker room at Crypto.com Arena after the game yielded zero signs of interest in a vengeful victory lap, with Nuggets players and coaches alike insisting this matchup isn’t any more personal because of all the spiciness between the two teams that came before.

Remember all that trash talk flying around after the Nuggets won their franchise’s first title? It was almost like the Lakers thought this was a rivalry, with LeBron firing back at Michael Malone on social media last June after the Nuggets coach (rightfully) poked fun at James’ retirement talk that had stolen the spotlight from the victors when those 2023 Western Conference finals were over.

“Enjoy your light but just know I’m the SUN,” James’ post read. “I stay on forever!”

The Nuggets, who last lost to the Lakers on Dec. 16, 2022, have eclipsed the Lakers six more times since James’ post.

A month later, Lakers coach Darvin Ham boldly declared “This s— ain’t over” while discussing the Nuggets during a podcast visit.

Newsflash: This s— is over.

And then there were Davis’ comments in training camp, when he told Spectrum SportsNet that the Nuggets’ alleged trash talking during those West finals was “very motivational” for the rematches to come.

“Me and ‘Bron had some conversations (about it) — like, we can’t wait,” Davis had said.

One can only imagine how unpleasant those conversations are now.

In a way, this makes this matchup even more humbling if you’re the Lakers. The first three games of this series featured the many painful ways Denver can do it, with the Jamal Murray dagger in Game 2 a whole different kind of basketball torture. It’s as if the Nuggets have toyed with the Lakers in all three first halves, falling behind by double digits every time, only to take it back in the second half.

Now here the Lakers are on the verge of another challenging offseason, with Denver’s dominance sparking all this frustration while expediting those looming questions about James’ future, Ham’s status and the like. And the Nuggets, when given the opportunity to punch down, are far more interested in looking past the Lakers than they are in pouring salt in this purple-and-gold wound.

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“I gotta be honest with you,” Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said in the hallway when I asked if they were privately reveling in all of this Lakers sadness. “It’s never about the other team. It’s always about the guys in our locker room. It’s always about our group of guys. So we don’t really think about our opponents.”

It was at this point that I told Gordon, who had playoff career highs with 29 points and 15 rebounds, that he was single-handedly killing my chosen story angle for the evening.

“I’m sorry,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s always about us. I think the media was trying to make it a little bit more than what it was.”

The Nuggets would never say this part publicly, either, but this series is unofficially over. The Minnesota Timberwolves or the Phoenix Suns await in the second round.

Aaron Gordon was 12 of 18 from the field and had 15 rebounds in Game 3 on Thursday night in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

The Joker’s in style

As Gordon was pontificating about why the Lakers aren’t anywhere to be found on the Nuggets’ psychological radar, Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić strolled by in his white-and-tan pinstripe suit. Gordon, who has grown close with Jokić since coming to Denver in March 2021 and even visited him in Serbia last summer, interrupted himself to pay his respects to the two-time MVP for his newfound fashion sense.

“Listen, if Joker is dressing like that, we’re not losing,” Gordon said with a smile. “Boy, you look sharp.”

Does he ever.

We’re still in small sample-size theater territory here, but Jokić is well on his way toward having yet another historic postseason run if this early trend continues. Through three games, he’s averaging 27.7 points (63.5 percent shooting overall; 37.5 percent from 3), 15.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists. In Denver’s 20-game run to the title last season, the 29-year-old averaged 30 points (54.8 percent overall; 46.1 percent from 3), 13.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists.

D-Lo … Not so much

The Nuggets are turning D’Angelo Russell into a non-factor — again.

When the 28-year-old guard was a no-show in the West finals against the Nuggets last May, it was fair to wonder if the Lakers front office might think twice about re-signing him in free agency. But he was deemed their best option as an additional scorer and playmaker, someone to share the load with James and Davis on the offensive end, and was given a two-year, $37 million deal. That he was a key piece in the midseason trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Utah was surely a significant factor.

But Russell faced all those familiar Denver demons in Game 3, missing all seven of his shots (including six 3s) while going scoreless (with two assists and three rebounds) in 24 minutes. It was, in truth, the difference in the game.

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For Lakers and Darvin Ham, another blown lead leaves more questions than answers

While the Nuggets had four scorers finish with 20-plus points (Jokić, Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Murray), the Lakers had three in Davis (33 points), James (26) and Austin Reaves (22). Neither team, meanwhile, had a bench player crack double digits.

“Unfortunately, he had some good looks that he just didn’t knock down,” Ham said. “It’s as simple as that. It’s similar to Game 1, (when Russell was just 6 of 20 from the field and) was able to bounce back for Game 2 (23 points; seven 3s) and I expect him to bounce back for Game 4 (on Saturday).”

Through three games against the Nuggets, Russell is averaging 12 points (32.6 percent shooting overall; 30.8 percent from 3), 3.7 assists, three rebounds and 34.8 minutes. By comparison, he averaged 20.8 points (45 percent; 43 percent), 6.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 36.1 minutes in his last 41 games of this regular season (the Lakers went 27-14 in those games).

(Top photo: Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)