This time, LeBron James along with the Lakers took a W on their way out of Denver. To the delight of front-running L.A. Faker fans at the Pepsi Center who chanted “M-V-P, M-V-P, M-V-P! ” as James stepped during the last minutes of the fourth quarter, the people overcome the Nuggets 105-96.

If you’re a Comcast television subscriber, consider yourself lucky. You didn’t even need to see the Lakers make themselves at home within an arena in which they bullied Denver center Nikola Jokic along with his teammates.

“There’s no victories. We’re not hanging out of this saying, ‘Heywe played the Lakers really tough. ’ They came in here and beat us. We must become better,” coach Michael Malone said Tuesday.

His group dropped into the exact horrible habit that obtained Denver removed from the playoffs . Whenever the going gets rough, the Nuggets choke when pulling the trigger.

OK, allow ’therefore appear on the bright side: If the Nuggets drop to the Lakers and more than 50% of television viewers from the Denver area can’t even watch the match, does the L count at the NBA standings?

As Danny Wolfe, a Denver rabbi and rabid basketball aficionado, let me know through the first quarter: “I’m requesting Siri every 15 minutes or so: Who’s winning? ” And Ben Klecker of Boulder added that he followed the activity via “Morse Code. ”

Those snark bites would be funny if that TV standoff wasn’t even so dumb. Hey, Comcast along with Kroenke Sports: A pox for departing hardworking fans.

This was the most anticipated regular-season game at the Can since January, when Steph, K.D. along with the Warriors visited city, trailing the Nuggets with a half game for the top seed in the Western Conference standings. Golden State made an announcement, crushing Denver by 31 points, together with Draymond Green allowing the young Nuggets know that their arms were too short to mess with the league’therefore elite.

Malone stole a mind trick that was traditional from the Doug Moe playbook, insisting during the 36 hours before tipoff that the Lakers were the superior team, like the Nuggets were only bit players in comparison with this A-listers out of La La Land. Lakers coach Frank Vogel, however, didn’t drop for Denver’s strategy, saying the difference between the James gang and Joker’s crew was “perhaps not a whole other level. ”

I beg to disagree, Mr. Vogel. Even if the Denver gear supervisor suits up the Nuggets within their retro-rainbow apparel, dressing to impress Peyton Manning at the beautiful people in the arena, the Lakers look better in uniform. James, Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard possess the muscle to give the Nuggets a noogie and rub their noses at the paint. Most important? Los Angeles is blessed to force Jokic to puff and huff for every point.

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Down the stretch of the fourth quarter, that which prevented Denver from finishing a comeback was the shield of Davis around Jokic, who obtained the other jumper was clanked and blocked by one shot from close range with the outcome in doubt.

At age 34, the King isn’t even dead. James doesn’t even look. Against the Nuggets, he seemed to be bulletproof and 12 feet tall.

And Jokic? He came up little in the young season’s game, making only four of the dozen field-goal attempts, his intensity lacking on far too lots of Denver’s offensive possessions.

“Right now, I cannot make shots,” ” Jokic said. “It is what it is. ”

What to make of that? I suspect it’s an athlete realizing greatness is a constant strain. Beneath the glare of the bright light of expectations, Joker is learning the hard way: Being MVP may ’t even be a part time occupation. It’s a 24/7 responsibility.

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