Published on: Oct 27, 2022 12:45 am IST|Updated on: Oct 27, 2022 12:45 am IST
DEN vs LAL Dream11: The NBA season has seen more high-scoring battles than anticipated and we have seen teams racking up points at a big clip. This has made for a lot of fun action and as we dive deeper into the season, the battlefield will be more defensive in my opinion. However, there are teams that have struggled in the early going and one of these teams is the Los Angeles Lakers, they will play against the Denver Nuggets here.
The Nuggets come into this game after suffering a rather embarrassing 110:135 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers in a game where Nikola Jokic scored just nine points. They have won two and lost two now.
Meanwhile, the Lakers continued to struggle and also lost to the Trail Blazers, however, in a much closer affair by the scoreline of 104:106 as Russell Westbrook clanked a shot late in the game. The Lakers have lost three in a row. Host: Denver Nuggets Visitors: LA Lakers Match Timing: 27 October, @ 07:30 AM Venue: Ball Arena
The Nuggets’ defense is struggling
The Nuggets have not been at their best when it comes to defense and their inability to both guard perimeter and also give up inside points has broken them more often than not. They have not reaped the benefits of Michael Porter Jr’s return and have given up 115+ in each of the games thus far. This defensive inconsistency has been a rather part of the whole league at this point. Let us see if the team comes up with an answer anytime soon.
Jokic’s scoring is down but he remains the leading scorer, rebounder, and assists man for the team. One thing that has hurt the Nuggets has been the form of Jamal Murray who hasn’t hit his stride yet after the injury. Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon have combined for 35 points a game and they are surely doing their job while the backcourt has been decent with Hyland and Caldwell-Pope also doing their job. Can Jamal sort out his woes, but more than that, can the defense click here?
Lakers have no answers It seems like we are still in the 2021-22 season when it comes to the Lakers. They continue to be mediocre and it is rather surprising that a team that has one of the best duos in LeBron and Davis is losing this much. LeBron and AD have combined for 50+ points, 19 Rebounds, and 4+ steals/blocks per game but that hasn’t been enough. Lonnie Walker IV has shown promise but it is like the team is basically running a three-man offense thus far. Westbrook’s struggles need not be highlighted, even the most casual NBA fans know about that by now.
The other area where the Lakers have been hurt is closing out games. They have lost the last two games by two and six points, fumbling the bag late in the game. Sometimes, their offense isn’t set and a shot is forced, especially in the case of Westbrook. The defense has been miles better than last season which surely holds some promise but in this league, you need to score better than 40% from the field no matter what era it is. The Lakers need to develop a deep scoring, something which they don’t have. Los Angeles Lakers | Denver Nuggets Games: 03| 04 Wins: 00 | 02 Defeats: 03 | 02
Los Angeles Lakers Team News
Lakers Expected Starting Five Wing: SF: Troy Brown Jr. Point Forward: SF: LeBron James Big: PF: Anthony Davis Perimeter: PG: Patrick Beverley | SG: Lonnie Walker IV
BENCH: Wenyen Gabriel, Damian Jones, Kendrick Nunn, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Austin Reaves, Scotty Pipper Jr., Matt Ryan, Cole Swidler.
Denver Nuggets Team News
Nuggets Expected Starting Five Forwards: SF: Michael Porter Jr. | PF: Aaron Gordon Middle: C: Nikola Jokic Guards: PG: Jamal Murray | SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
BENCH: Jeff Green, Zeke Nnaji, Jack White, Bones Hyland, Bruce Brown, Deandre Jordan, Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, Vlatko Cancer, Ish Smith, Davon Reed.
LeBron James(LAL) Points: 31 Rebounds: 08 Assists: 08 Steals: 02 Blocks: 02 LeBron has been leaving his imprints all over the game yet again in most areas possible but now for the two straight seasons, he has suffered a bunch of defeats. I believe he will be in 27-34 points, 10-14 rebounds, and 8-11 assists range. LeBron can be chosen as the Star-Player in the Dream11 NBA scene. He is PROBABLE for the game.
Nikola Jokic(DEN) Points: 09 Rebounds: 09 Assists: 09 Jokic was in foul trouble in the last game but even then his all-around imprints dominated the game as always. I believe he will be in 19-26 points, 10-14 rebounds, 9-12 assists, and 1-3 steals range here.
Anthony Davis(LAL) Points: 22 Rebounds: 10 Assists: 03 Blocks: 06 Steals: 02 Anthony is an elite defender and he has also been a regular contributor scoring-wise and a strong rebounder as well. I believe he will be in 21-28 points, 9-13 rebounds, and 2-4 blocks/steals range.
Michael Porter Jr.(DEN) Points: 18 Rebounds: 04 Assists: 02 Michael has been highly efficient and continues to be a strong influence on both ends of the floor, but he will have to be more healthy than before. I believe he will be in 16-21 points and 5-8 rebounds range.
Aaron Gordon(DEN) Points: 26 Rebounds: 06 Assists: 01 Aaron has had a fantastic start to the season and that has made for the rather off-colour offensive performances from Murray. Gordon can be in 14-19 points, 6-10 rebounds, and 1-2 steals range.
Lonnie Walker IV (LAL) Points: 15 Rebounds: 04 Assists: 01 Blocks: 01 Steals: 01 Lonnie has had some statement games and he may need to amp up his playmaking and long-range shooting here for the Lakers to have some offensive success. I believe he will be in 16-22 points, 4-6 rebounds, and 2-4 assists range.
DEN vs LAL Dream11 Lineup Balancers
PG: N Bones Hyland SG: P Beverley SF: L Walker, J Toscano-Anderson PF: L James(SP), A Gordon, B Brown C: A Davis(PP)
The Lakers keep on sinking deeper, will they crawl out of their hole as they take on a leaky Nuggets unit? This match can be accessed through the NBA League Pass, which has all the live games and their replay too. Scorers, news, and stats can be followed on the official website of NBA. Nine/Ten highlights can be followed on the official NBA YouTube channel.