Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Shaq expects history to repeat itself when Lakers face Denver

By Adam Taylor | Last updated 4/17/24

The Los Angeles Lakers have secured a spot in the 2024 NBA playoffs.

They defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament on Tuesday and will face the second-seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round. Denver swept the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference finals en route to winning the championship.

When speaking on "Inside The NBA" after the Lakers victory, Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O'Neal warned that history could repeat itself. He noted how the Lakers 'have no answer' for Nikola Jokic.

"They don’t have an answer for the Joker," Shaq said. "Hopefully Denver can have some slippage so the Lakers can have some success. But if Denver is focused and the Lakers are focused, it might be another sweep.”

The Lakers lost all three of their meetings with the Nuggets this season. If we include last season's playoffs, the Purple and Gold have lost their last seven meetings with Mike Malone's team. Denver clearly has the Lakers' number. As such, Darvin Ham and his coaching staff must get creative. They need to find ways to put LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a position to dominate on both sides of the floor.

Furthermore, the Lakers need their role players to step into the limelight. They can only hand the Nuggets an early exit by playing complete basketball on both sides of the ball. However, expecting a team to do that in four out of seven games is a tall order.

The Nuggets have been dominant all season. The Lakers will undoubtedly have a chance at success, but with each game they lose, that chance will drastically reduce. Ham's team will need to be near-perfect if it wants to cause an upset and advance to the second round.

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