Published on: Oct 31, 2022 2:02 am IST|Updated on: Oct 31, 2022 2:02 am IST
LAL vs DEN Dream11: The NBA season brings us to many amazing athletes who have worked hard on their basketball skills. The season is long as each team plays 82 games and there are constant ups and downs throughout the season. As we head deeper into the season, the injury lists will also swell and teams will need to unearth their depth. The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of unearthing to do and they will face the Denver Nuggets in this game.
The Lakers come into this game after suffering another defeat, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 102:111 despite a 28 points outing by LeBron James.
On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Utah Jazz 117:101 as Bones Hyland turned up a 26 points night.
Host: LA Lakers Visitors: Denver Nuggets Match Timing:31 October, @ 07:00 AM Venue: Crypto.com Arena
The Lakers are falling apart
The Lakers have lost the trust of their fanbase after being a letdown since last season. They have begun in the most underwhelming way possible and remain the only winless team at the time of writing. This is astonishing considering they have such a dynamic duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This has been a poor offensive start and the Lakers are the worst team in various metrics. Their defense has improved “Slightly” but not good enough to bag wins.
One thing is clear, Russell Westbrook can’t be made the scapegoat anymore. Coach Ham brought him off the bench in the last game and it seems to work as Russell can dominate the ball more with the second unit compared to the first unit where LeBron has the keys. Lonnie Walker IV has had some impressive games but he has struggled from the long-range. LeBron and Davis are putting up big numbers but the Lakers’ fandom needs wins, not just stats.
Nuggets are finding their groove Last season, the Nuggets were winning against teams with losing records but teams with 50%+ win record exposed them as only Nikola Jokic was the only consistent scoring option and the team defense wasn’t as sharp. And that was because the team missed the services of Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray. Porter Jr. has once again begun the season in a scintillating fashion, making a difference on both ends but Murray’s injury has hampered his production for sure.
Aaron Gordon is a wild card type of player, he can have big nights but then disappear altogether. But the Nuggets did a great job of acquiring Bruce Brown who can play multiple positions and is a strong injury cover. The question will be if the Nuggets are going to see a healthy Michael Porter Jr this season. The problems can mount if he is injured. Their defense looks better and the offensive side is on too. Let us see how they do against the elite teams. Los Angeles Lakers | Denver Nuggets Games: 05| 06 Wins: 00 | 04 Defeats: 05 | 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: Russell Westbrook, Wenyen Gabriel, Damian Jones, Kendrick Nunn, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Austin Reaves, Scotty Pipper Jr., Matt Ryan.
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: 28 Rebounds: 07 Assists: 05 Steals: 04 Point Forward James has been doing his usual stats galore but it hasn’t translated into wins and his three-point stroke has been also off thus far. I believe he will be in 26-32 points, 7-11 rebounds, 6-9 assists, and 1-2 blocks/steals range. LeBron can be chosen as the Star-Player in the Dream11 NBA scene. He is PROBABLE for the game.
Nikola Jokic(DEN) Points: 12 Rebounds: 10 Assists: 06 Steals: 01 Blocks: 01 Jokic once again is leading the Nuggets in points, rebounds, and assists but despite his off-night, the Nuggets pulled through in the last game, indicating he has more help than last season. I believe he will be in 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 7-11 assists range here.
Anthony Davis(LAL) Two-Way Star Davis missed the last game but even his high-scoring, rebounding, and defensive ways hasn’t been enough to bail out his squad. I believe he will be in 20+ points, 9-13 rebounds, and 1-3 blocks range. He is QUESTIONABLE.
Michael Porter Jr.(DEN) Points: 22 Rebounds: 13 Assists: 01 Wing Porter Jr. has had a sensational start to the season and his offensive and rebounding game has been as impressive as his defense. I believe he will be in 16-24 points, 8+ rebounds, and 1-3 blocks range.
Jamal Murray(DEN) Points: 13 Rebounds: 01 Assists: 01 Murray’s production has fallen due to multiple injuries but he can still command attention at the perimeter. I believe he will be in 12-17 points range here.
Russell Westbrook (LAL) Points: 18 Rebounds: 08 Assists: 03 Blocks: 01 Steals: 01 While Westbrook had some memorable moments off the bench but his efficiency was still on the low and his play was out of control. I believe he will be in 16-22 points, 6-9 rebounds, 4-7 assists, and 1-3 steals range.
PG: N Bones Hyland SG: P Beverley, C Braun SF: M Porter-Jr, L Walker PF: L James(SP) C: A Davis(PP), D Jordan
Can the Lakes at least get a win or will Jokic deny them again? This game can be watched 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. The highlights can be followed on the official NBA YouTube channel.