This has been more than a bad matchup; it’s been nearly a guarantee.
After being swept in the 2023 NBA Western Conference finals, the Lakers added size and muscle while building around an existing core to try and match the Nuggets a season later.
Those changes ended up mattering so little, Denver winning all four regular-season meetings and losing just once in the first-round playoff series between the teams.
That defeat led to the Lakers making another change, this one on the sidelines, with JJ Redick replacing Darvin Ham as coach.
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