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Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers: 10 Takeaways from This Rematch

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Tarik Black (28) is defended by Denver Nuggets forward Jarnell Stokes (12) at Citizens Business Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets, who played the Lakers for the second time in three days, dropped their first preseason loss in this rematch.

The Denver Nuggets lost their first preseason as D’Angelo Rusell, yet again, tore them up.

Russell was scorching hot along with teammate Lou Williams, who scored 15 points the fourth quarter. It was obvious that Denver did not have any answer for them, but there were many more takeaways than just that.

The Nuggets, who have been able to dominate most teams in the paint, have seen Jusuf Nurkic step up and lead this young team while Mudiay struggles, and Mudiay, yet again, had a poor game. He was outplayed by Russell for the second straight game.

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The Nuggets are young, and they have much to improve on. As we take a took at the takeaways from this game, we will try to look at ahead at how they can fix some issues in the actual season.

Well, without further ado, let’s start our takeaways!

No Answer for the Perimeter

Guard the perimeter, especially on fast breaks.

Welp, this was obvious. D’Angelo Russell and Lou Williams absolutely tore up the Nuggets tonight, and as the whole, the Lakers bombed the Nuggets with threes.

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The Lakers were scorching shooting 14-28 from three. Combined Lou and D’Angelo combined to go 8-14 from three. This is unacceptable if you are coach Malone.

Too many get back defenders are hustling to the paint, and three point shots looks are going up wide open. This was a problem for Denver tonight.

Players are getting back, but their blinders are on as they storm the paint. Its hard to stay composed in these panicky moments, but the Nuggets need to keep their collective heads on more of a swivel. Especially in today’s NBA, giving up wide open looks from downtown is a recipe for disaster.

Just as they saw tonight, the Nuggets must answer to the perimeter threat as they will have to face Damian Lillard and George Hill multiple times this season.

Oct 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Yi Jianlian (11) defends against Denver Nuggets forward Jarnell Stokes (12) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Take Your Time

The Nuggets need to stop playing hot potato.

It is clear that this team wants to share the ball, and this is a welcome notion. But zipping the ball around faster than your teammates can keep up with is not a good idea. While sometimes a good thing, against the Lakers it helped lead to a 20 turnovers.

With two bigs that can operate in the low-post, the Nuggets have need to look to grind the ball inside more often. This has been success in the past for Denver, and with Nurkic nicely developing, slowing the pace down could be a good thing.

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These quick passes might be able to beat defenders if executed well, but the Nuggets don’t seem quite there yet. Most of their turnovers are coming relativley unforced.

The Nuggets are simply throwing the ball away, and need to slow down and focus on smarter passing instead of faster passing. Further practice with these smarter passes will eventually give way to the sort of efficient quick-passing that they seem to be chasing.

Oct 3, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay (0) dribbles the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the third quarter at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Mudiay needs to dribble more.

That is not to say that Mudiay needs to work more one-on-ones, but rather, he needs to start testing the waters before jumping in. This means dribbling into the paint, and seeing what the defense gives you, with the safety net of dribbling out into the corner to reset in mind.

Currently, if Mudiay sees an opening in the paint, he turns on the jets and attacks the rim like hes angry at it. Sometimes it works out, and the Westbrook-like ceiling of the young PG emerges.

Here he takes his time, avoids a defender, and finishes nicely- this is the Mudiay that Denver needs to see on a nightly basis.

But other times, it doesnt work out, and Mudiay is flying out of bounds before he’s even realized what’s happened. This is where a lot of his turnovers occur, as he chucks bailout passes into hands of defenders.

Mudiay needs to learn to test the waters first, instead of regularly going for the most epic cannon ball ever attempted. This should help cut down on turnovers, and also give the team more orchestrated shot attempts.

Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) is defended by Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) and forward Jarnell Stokes (12) at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Keep rebounding

The Nuggets have been solid on the defensive glass. So far in the preseason, rebounding has been a strength of this team.

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This was  solid win for the Nuggets in this game against the Lakers. They DEMOLISHED the Lakers on the boards. They out rebounded them 54 to 29, and this was in part to Nurkic’s 16 and Faried’s 8. Nonetheless, a demolish to this extent must be recognized. This will be keyin multiple games going forward for the Nuggets.

This has helped the Nuggets stay in, and even win, games that they probably should have lost, due to turnovers.

If they can keep up the solid rebounding, then they stand a chance to keep winning even when they shouldn’t.

Now, if they can rebound and cutdown on turnovers, they’ll be in great shape.

The M&M’s

The extended look that we have been able to see of the Murray and Mudiay backcourt could be huge throughout the season.

This duo is not getting a lot of court-time. With Harris out, one would expect to see more Mudiay and Murray. Both guards are capable of controlling the dribble, and their potential as an interchangeable back-court duo should be explored. This is the preseason after all!

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This will something to key your eye on. While the Lakers-Nuggets game did not feature too much Murray Mudiay time; if Barton ever rests, it will be time to see this dynamic duo.

This was game was a game of halves. Mudiay played most of his 27 minutes in the first half while Murray earned most of his 25 minutes in the second half. This will be something to watch for going forward. Keep your eyes peeled for this exciting duo, Nuggets Nation.

Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Juancho Hernangomez (41) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Jose Calderon (5) and guard Jordan Clarkson (6) at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Play composed out of the gate.

The Nuggets have established an early theme of coming out a little too hot.

Their offense is certainly a force when its clicking, but overplaying on both offense and defense led to too many Nuggets turnovers and wide-open looks for the Lakers. 20 turnovers. Denver had 20 turnovers, that is awful.

The Lakers outscored the Nuggets 32-23 in the first quarter, and it was a rough entire first half for the Nuggets as D’Angelo Russell just did not off the petal.

They can play fast, but these players need to keep their composure. They seem to find this composure with time, but starting off over zealous has caused sloppy play.

Too many risks are being taken in the first quarter, and turnovers pile up quickly. Playing explosively is fine, but it can’t mean sacrificing intelligence completely.

Sep 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Lou Williams (23) poses at media day at Toyota Sports Center.. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Stop underestimating shooters or do your homework

Nuggets players seem a little too relaxed when it comes to actively defending shooters.

This is mostly occuring when these shooters take shots that they probably shouldn’t. There is no need to start hacking shooters whenever they look at the rim, but tempting them to take hard shots is not a smart move.

It did not seem like they wanted to do either tonight. The Nuggets allowed Lou Williams four threes; Lou Williams is not Steph Curry. And, he went on a rampage against Denver. When in the regular season, acts like this must be stopped for Denver to achieve a playoff spot.

After all, aren’t players like D’Angelo Russel known for making these “bad” shots? The Nuggets need to start respecting the freakish shooting abilities of NBA shooters and cut down on passive on-ball defense.

Oct 9, 2016; Ontario, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) shoots the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Lakers defeated the Nuggest 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Work the bigs

Jokic, and especially Nurkic, have done quite well in scoringg off of post up looks.

Instead of having Mudiay sprint into the paint at 100mph right off the bat, why not go to a big first and see what they can do?

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It has worked out well foe them so far, and both centers seem to have no problem passing the ball if they cannot get the look that they want. Then Mudiay can have his chance to ignite the blasters and charge to the rim as the shot clock runs down.

Mudiay can make a lot happen in just a few seconds, in both scoring and setting up quick catch-and-shoot looks. Working the bigs before sendig Mudiay to work seems like the smarter.

Even before this game, Nurkic was already turning turning on the burners. He had averaged 18 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game. The dude has been straight balling. Also not to mention, the normal lackluster three throw shooter has averaged 85.7% from the line so far this season. Oh, and Nurkic can boasted around his team high 27.2 usage percentage.

As far as Jokic, he did not play in this Lakers game, but he has also impressed. He has been able to averaged 10.0 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game in just two games. Similar to his rookie numbers, Jokic still has much improving to do.

These bigs are beasts, and they should continue to see their run.

Oct 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots against Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. (7) and center Tarik Black (28) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The Rooks Impress

While not an overly impress stat, all three of Denver’s rookies are in the top 50 of all the rookies in scoring.

Murray leads the gang with 10.3 points per game, but this Laker was easily his worst as he contributed only 6 points in their losing effort. He did not do much else, and he committed a four turnovers. This was poor game by Murray, and every Nuggets fan will look for him to turn it around on Wednesday against Kris Dunn and Minnesota.

Beasley also had one of his worst preseason games as he was only able to score a single three pointer. He was 1-7 from the field and 1-5 from behind the arc. He didn’t have any assists. He had one rebounds and posted a -16. This was a poor performance from him.

Hernangomez was the only solid Nugget rookie tonight, and he was great!

Juancho scored 13 points on 6-10 shooting with 9 rebounds and one steal. He also was able to put two Lakers on posters. Hernangomez continues to prove his critics wrong, and he is deceptively stronger and tougher than his smaller body type give off.

Watch this insane Juancho dunk below.

And, just like that, we are sadly onto our last takeaway.

Oct 3, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) takes a free throw against the Toronto Raptors during the third quarter at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Rooster Is Back

I have mixed feelings for this one.

Gallinari’s game is the type that you love to have on your team, and you hate to play against. He was able to score 19 points tonight, and he made only three shots that were not free throws.

Gallo ended up shooting 12 free throws and connecting on 11 of them. This is impressive, and Gallo giving up his body in just a measly preseason game is a good indication that he is back to stay.

While Gallo was hurt most of last season and has had injury problems, all Nuggets fans will hope that he will be the teams savior that will once again take them to the promise land.

Conclusion

This was a great game to watch and write on. The Nuggets did several things exceptional well, but they sadly could not stop Russell and Williams and overall that doomed them.

The Nuggets hit the court again Wednesday night against the Timberwolves.

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