NBA
Will Lakers coach Darvin Ham drop D’Angelo Russell for game 4?
The under-fire Lakers coach has stood firm in his beliefs after his side stumbled to a 0-3 defeat against the Nuggets.
Darvin Ham may be the fall guy if the Lakers’ season ends in a sweep, but if he does then it will be on his own terms, with his own players and his own style.
The coach, who is under more pressure than is healthy for a land-based mammal, said recently that he was set to stick to his guns in terms of his team, despite the Lakers being in a staggering - and unprecedented - position in the playoffs, 0-3 down (114-103, 101-99 & 105-112) against the rampaging Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Lakers play in game 4 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday 27 April at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT.
Ham wants to ‘give a chance’ to his players
“I’m not changing my starting lineup,” Ham said on Friday. “You want to give your players a chance to make good for themselves,” Ham said. “There were questions about that after Game 1 and you saw what we did in Game 2.”
As for D’Angelo Russell, the point guard has come under fire, going scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in game 3 as well as being caught looking entirely disengaged from the team in the fourth quarter: “He got back in the gym, as he’s always done, and worked on his stuff” Ham said in support, “and he provided a great source of income in Game 2. Although we came up short, he was one of the reasons we were able to be in the game.”
“You have to trust your players,” Ham said. “And just believe in them. And when they see that belief, then they tend to perform at a high level.”
Will LeBron James play in game 4 against the Nuggets?
Ahead of the all-or-nothing game, Ham has seen the fitness of some of his key players put into doubt, with LeBron James listed as ‘probable’ on the official injury list submitted to the league as the NBA veteran is still overcoming a recent ankle issue.
It’s not only James, however, as Christian Wood is listed as ‘questionable’, along with Anthony Davis: the former has a left knee injury while the latter has ‘lower back’ soreness. Jalen Hood-Schifino is also out as he recovers from back surgery while Cam Reddish and Jarred Vanderbilt are unavailable with ankle sprains.
The game between the Nuggets and the Lakers will be played on Saturday April 27 with tip-off at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. You can follow all the drama on AS USA as it unfolds.