After losing Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers are now in a 2-0 hole. It is very concerning, if for no other reason that they will have to win four of the next five games against a very, very good team in order to reach the NBA Finals.
But from what head coach Darvin Ham said after the game, he doesn’t seem overly concerned.
He actually praised his team’s energy, effort and urgency, as well as his team’s defense in the first two or three quarters of the contest. He also liked the way his players bounced back after falling behind by a big margin.
Ham made it sound as if the Lakers lost only because they “caught a bad stretch” — the stretch in which Denver outscored them 15-1 in the fourth quarter.
“Overall the energy was there, the effort is there, the urgency was there, we just caught a bad stretch.” Darvin Ham is proud of the #Lakers despite the outcome. pic.twitter.com/VIoParGTRZ
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) May 19, 2023
That stretch resulted in a 108-103 loss and that 2-0 deficit L.A. find itself in.