DENVER —
History says the Lakers are in trouble.
Asked about the matchup involving the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, one Eastern Conference executive quickly responded, the three dots on the phone barely registering.
“Bad for the Lakers!” he replied.
Eight consecutive losses to a team probably makes that punctuation appropriate if not a bit of an undersell. Denver is, of course, the higher-seeded team. Denver has, of course, mile-high home-court advantage. Denver has, of course, Nikola Jokic and his unofficial crown as the best player in the league.