LeBron James, Lakers Ripped By NBA Fans for 3Q Collapse in Loss to Jokić, Nuggets

The Los Angeles Lakers will have to come from behind in the first round after dropping the first game of the series against the Denver Nuggets 114-103 on Saturday night.

A collapse in the third quarter negated a promising start from the Lakers. Los Angeles went into halftime with a three-point lead, but the Nuggets outscored the Lakers 32-18 in the third quarter to head into the fourth quarter with a comfortable lead.

The Lakers rallied late, cutting the lead to single digits halfway through the fourth, but Denver held on to win.

After the loss, fans lamented the sluggish third quarter that put the Lakers away:

The Lakers got a big game from stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. James had 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds while Davis dropped 32 points and 14 boards, but Los Angeles’ role players struggled. D’Angelo Russell had 13 points and was 6-of-20 from the field, proving to do more harm than good down the stretch.

The Lakers will need better production from their supporting staff moving forward if they want to take down the defending champs.

The Lakers and Nuggets will faceoff in Game Two of the series on Monday at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

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