The crowded Western Conference seeding battle will get more clarity when the surging Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
Entering Friday, five teams were within two games of third place, currently occupied by Los Angeles following a four-game winning streak. The Lakers can solidify their hold if they beat Denver and win the season series.
Both have won one game in the series, and the third and final matchup is the only one in Los Angeles, which has its full complement of stars after LeBron James returned from foot, elbow and hip injuries Thursday night. James, who is third on the team in scoring at 21.4 points per game, is easing back into a lineup that has been playing well behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring at 32.9 ppg, had 51 in Thursday’s win over Chicago, and Reaves is second in scoring on Los Angeles with a 23.9 average. James had 17 points against the Bulls and took just 13 shots, but he is willing to sacrifice his stats for the team.
“If it benefits others, it benefits the team,” James said. “The team is most important. Everybody’s successful when we win. So, yeah, it is a sacrifice. I know what I’m capable of still doing as an individual, but what’s important for this team, I’m able to adapt to what’s important for this team. And that’s the only thing that matters.”
James missed three games after hitting his elbow on the court late in a 120-113 loss at the Nuggets on March 5. Denver was in danger of slipping into the play-in tournament portion of the standings before sweeping a back-to-back against Houston and at San Antonio on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The Nuggets rallied from down 20 to beat the Spurs, a signature win for a team that has been struggling since mid-February. Denver lost six of the first 10
out the All-Star break but stayed in the hunt for homecourt advantage with its last two wins.
The Nuggets’ win Thursday night in Texas came without Aaron Gordon, who has missed 40 games with separate hamstring strains.
Gordon should return against the Lakers, which means Denver is only missing Peyton Watson as it heads into the stretch run. The Nuggets, currently fifth in the West, have secured tiebreakers against the Rockets and Timberwolves and can earn another one Saturday night.
Denver is led by Nikola Jokic, who is averaging a triple-double — 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists — and Jamal Murray, who is averaging a career-best 25.7 ppg, but it will need its next-tier players to perform.
Cameron Johnson, who came over in the Michael Porter Jr. trade with Brooklyn in the offseason, has started to find his footing after missing 26 games with ankle and knee injuries. Johnson had 17 points against Houston and 15 points Thursday night.
“I think sometimes, he’s trying to make perfect plays, instead of just making the play that is right there in front of you (that) is the right decision,” head coach David Adelman said. “… These guys have to find their rhythm.”
