NBA
Nuggets’ head coach Michael Malone praised his team’s defense for how they guarded D’Angelo Russell in Game 1
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated17 May 2023
Last night in Game 1, the Lakers almost came back from nearly a 20-point halftime deficit. The Nuggets were up as much as 21 points in the third quarter. However, the Lakers cut Denver’s lead to three points with just over two minutes left in the game. After Denver’s 132-126 win, Michael Malone praised his team’s defense for how they guarded Lakers PG D’Angelo Russell.
Dennis Schroder and Russell were the only two Lakers starters to not have double-digit points in Game 1. In fact, Russell was the only Lakers starter to not play at least 30 minutes. His off-shooting night made him a non-factor for the Lakers. Rui Hachimura played a large portion of his 28 minutes in the second half and had 17 points off the bench.
The Lakers will have to regroup after Game 1 if they don’t want to start the series down 2-0. NBA betting sites have the Lakers at (+198) to win Game 2 on the road tomorrow night.
D’Angelo Russell and Max Christie came back out and got shots up following the Lakers’ Game 1 loss. pic.twitter.com/wWT167fBuX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 17, 2023
D’Angelo Russell finished Game 1 last night with 8 points
The Lakers were down 72-54 at halftime last night and needed a big comeback if they wanted to win. It wasn’t looking great as the Lakers were down as many as 21 points in the third. However, the Lakers responded with a strong fourth quarter where they outscored the Nuggets, 34-26, and 72-60 in the second half.
After Denver’s 132-126 win, Michael Malone took some subtle shots at Lakers’ all-star PG D’Angelo Russell.
“I felt we did a great job on D’Angelo Russell,”… “So great that he wasn’t even in the game much in the second half.” – Michael Malone
Denver is now a perfect 7-0 this postseason at home. At the moment, the team is extremely healthy and that has plagued them in past postseasons. One year it was Michael Porter Jr., then it was Jamal Murray who missed significant time. As the #1 seed in the West, the Nuggets know they have a special roster this season. One that is talented enough to make and win the NBA Finals.
