NBA
When does the Lakers - Nuggets playoff series start? Dates and times of all the games
The Lakers depended on LeBron to defeat the Pelicans and advance to the first round of the playoffs, where they would face Jokic and the Denver team.
The Los Angeles Lakers secured their playoff spot as the seventh seed after a hard-fought 110-106 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. LeBron James almost managed a triple-double with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, leading the Lakers to a win at the Pelicans’ court. The Lakers will now face the current champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the first round of the playoffs.
Despite an impressive performance by Zion Williamson, who scored 40 points in his first career postseason game, the Pelicans could not secure the win. Williamson was forced to retire at the last minute due to an injury. The Pelicans now have one more chance to make the playoffs as they face the winner of the other play-in game on Friday, the Sacramento Kings, who won against the Golden State Warriors last night 118-94.
Lakers-Nuggets first-round schedule
The first round of the NBA playoffs is scheduled to start on Saturday, April 20.
- Game 1: Saturday, April 20 (Denver)
- Game 2: TBD (Denver)
- Game 3: TBD (Los Angeles)
- Game 4: TBD (Los Angeles)
- Game 5: TBD, if necessary (Denver)
- Game 6: TBD, if necessary (Los Angeles)
- Game 7: TBD, if necessary (Denver)
Lakers-Nuggets: preview
The Denver Nuggets, who won the NBA championship last year, will face off against their rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. This match is a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, which saw the Nuggets sweep the Lakers and advance to the NBA Finals.
After a hard-fought regular season, the Nuggets secured the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. However, they missed out on the No. 1 seed by losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the final game of the regular season. On the other hand, the Lakers, who have a rich history of success in the NBA, secured the No. 7 seed after winning the first play-in game.
The Nuggets and the Lakers have a long-standing rivalry that dates back decades. This year, Denver won all three games against the Lakers during the regular season, giving them a psychological advantage heading into the playoffs. The winner of this series will advance to the conference semifinals, where they will face the matchup winner between the Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves.