This season, the Los Angeles Lakers had the odds stacked against them. And when it is between LA and Denver, they become even higher. It isn’t that the Purple & Gold is necessarily a bad team. Yes, they have struggled terribly, and sure, they have had problems all around. But the fact that the Nuggets have managed to overpower and outdo the Lakers at every turn since the West’s Conference Finals is the biggest drawback.

But that was fuel enough for LeBron James and Co. to up their game closer to the end of the regular season. They fought against all odds (even going 12-3 in the last 15 games) to get their chance at avenging in Game 1. Yet, the latest injury report on the Lakers isn’t exactly comforting. The team’s superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James are both listed as questionable for the Denver clash.

Davis is suffering from low back soreness while James’ persistent ankle issues continue to bother him. Aside from them, Jalen Hood-Schifino (lumbar disc surgery), Cam Reddish (right ankle sprain), Jarred Vanderbilt (right mid foot sprain), and Christian Wood (left knee surgery) remain ‘Out’.

Anthony Davis has been great this season. He played the most number of games as well as being a defensive strength for a struggling Lakers team. Los Angeles becomes better all the way with AD on the floor. But he hasn’t been without injuries. From getting poked in the eye to the usual back spasms, The Brow has had to deal with a wide variety of injuries that seem to be meted out to only him.

Despite it all, Davis is averaging 24.7 points, 3.5 assists, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. He is also shooting 55.6% from the field and making 5.5 shots out of 6.8 from the charity stripe on average.

Anthony Davis’ stats vs the Nuggets

Anthony Davis has played a total of 31 games against the Denver Nuggets in his career. In these games, he’s averaged 23.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while holding a 13-18 record. AD admitted that the way to win against Denver is through impeccable defense. And if the Lakers do not have their best defender when they face off against Nikola Jokić and Co., the result can be quite unfavorable.

Los Angeles holds a defensive rating of 108.7 vs the Nuggets all-time. But this season, the number increased to 126.4. And that was with Davis on the floor. His stat line in the three games they played in the season is 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.

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There have been changes to the Lakers team this season. They aren’t the same team that Denver faced last year. And Ham and his squad are coming in with realistic expectations and a determination that was perhaps absent the last time. But when it comes down to the wire, the real difference-maker will be, once again, in clutch. If the Purple & Gold can handle that, they might just see the light at the end of the tunnel.