Lakers Locker Room: Players “Irritated, Frustrated, Fed Up” as Sweep Risk Dangles, per Darvin Ham

It has been a day since the Los Angeles Lakers failed to take down the Denver Nuggets in Game 3, at home, yet again. But trailing 0-3 in the series, and on the verge of getting swept by the same team for the second time in two years, tensions are high in the Lakers’ locker room. And going over film from last game, the frustration was evident in LeBron James and Co.’s demeanor, as told by head coach Darvin Ham.

In an interview after the Lakers’ film session today, Ham revealed the Purple & Gold squad’s mood after yesterday’s beatdown, “Guys are irritated, frustrated, fed up.” And that is a perfectly understandable reaction, considering yesterday was the Lakers’ 11 consecutive loss against the defending Champions, and they have not been able to figure out how to beat them for over a year.

And surprisingly, the last time LeBron’s team beat The Joker, in regular season or postseason, was on December 16, 2022. With a 126-108 blowout win, the Lakers dominated the Nuggets that night, something that seems nearly impossible to imagine today. Moreover, the Lakers have created chance after chance to get the win over Denver, but always fail in crunch time. Just take yesterday’s game for instance. Leading by 12 points at one time, the Lakers had the perfect opportunity to win Game 3, and bring back the series to 1-2. Instead, they blew the advantage in the third quarter, eventually losing in front of their fans. Similarly, they blew a 20-point lead in Game 2 and a 10+ points lead in their playoff opener.

Can the Lakers save their season tomorrow?

With their backs against the wall, it’s Win or Go Home for the Lakers. And they will face Denver at the Crypto.com arena, once again, tomorrow. But a lot of things need to be improved in the Lakers’ execution if they want to live to fight another day. With that, Darvin Ham knew the challenge going into Game 4 and what’s at stake tomorrow, “It’s tough. Gotta figure out a way to get one on Saturday to stay alive.”

Because not only will it be humiliating to get swept by the Nuggets for the second straight year, to have that happen in the Lakers’ home court will add insult to injury. A sense of urgency and desperation, making adjustments to maintain the lead and stop the Nuggets from going on runs, and giving Anthony Davis the ball more in the fourth quarter, are few of the things the Lakers need to work on to hopefully win tomorrow.

While LeBron and AD have been great in all three games, their supporting cast needs to step up to stand a fighting chance. Another scoreless night from a player like D’Angelo Russell had yesterday could prove extremely costly for the Lakers in Game 4. Do you believe the Lakers can bounce back tomorrow and avoid the humiliation of getting swept at home?