Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. issues sweep warning that will worry LeBron James, Lakers

Porter’s confidence is well-founded, as the Nuggets are in a completely different weight class than the Lakers. The 11-game win streak includes six double-digit comebacks, including all three games from this playoff series. Does Los Angeles have any chance of avoiding embarrassment on Saturday, or is Denver simply inevitable?

The Lakers are incapable of finishing games against the Nuggets

The dynamic of this series is most likely too difficult for any franchise in the losing position to overcome. The Lakers blew a 12-point lead in Game 3, right after Jamal Murray finished punched them in the mouth with his Game 2 buzzer-beater. Of course, Los Angeles was up by as much as 20 in that contest, but Denver always finds a way to come back. The Lakers have been up at halftime in all three games.

The reason for this is simple: Los Angeles doesn’t get consistent enough production from its supporting cast. James and Anthony Davis combined for 53 points on Thursday, while the rest of the starting lineup registered just 17. Conversely, Murray and Nikola Jokic put up 40 for the Nuggets, but the rest of their lineup scored 49.

Denver can afford to take its foot off the gas when the game starts because it knows that it can rely on its superior depth to slowly claw its way back in. Jokic said as much postgame, via Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.

“To be honest, I think every game is tougher and tougher,” Jokic said. “You can see, they were up 20 in Denver, in Game 2. They were up 12 today in the first half. But yeah, I think it’s really hard to play against the same team over and over again. You kind of get bored with the style of the play or whatever. So you just need to — especially for us, because we won the last three — just trust what we are doing and don’t get bored with success. Because it can (go) wrong really quick.”

Jokic’s comments are telling, as it’s uncommon for a player to admit that his team is “bored” with beating the same squad so many times. This suggests that the Nuggets can essentially beat the Lakers at will, so they don’t bother trying until they need to. Based on recent results, it’s hard to argue with the approach. There’s no reason to exert maximum energy and further risk any injury if it’s unnecessary to win.

Denver can always rely on players like Porter to produce. The Missouri alum is averaging 20.3 points and nine rebounds per game on 54.5% shooting this series, including an unconscious 47.8% clip from beyond the arc. When combining that with the likes of Jokic and Murray, who can take the game over at any moment, Los Angeles is outmatched. Don’t expect much to change in Game 4.