The Los Angeles Lakers know they have to find 48 minutes of two-way excellence if they are going to even their first round series with the defending champion Denver Nuggets, as they saw Game 1 slip away after a strong start.
However, a strong start never hurts the cause, and similarly to the opener the Lakers got off on the right foot in Game 2, taking a quick 15-9 lead in the first 5.5 minutes thanks to some great play on both ends of the floor. D’Angelo Russell shook off his 1-of-9 night from three on Saturday to hit three quick threes, giving the Lakers a needed boost around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
On defense, the Lakers were flying around the court early and it was James that set the tone with a ridiculous block on Jamal Murray as he looked to throw down a dunk.
LeBron meets Murray at the rim! 😤
WHAT A BLOCK 🚫 pic.twitter.com/fwCYfVfiAF
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 23, 2024
LeBron got the ball incredibly cleanly, cupping it as Murray tried to put it home and had the strength to throw it out to the bench.
James isn’t the same defensive force he once was on a possession by possession basis, but he’s still capable of some pretty incredible feats when he taps into his energy reserves on that end. He knows the importance of this Game 2 to the Lakers chances in the series, and this block was an early highlight to send a message to both teams what this game will be like.
