Three Things to Know: Game 5-Lakers at Nuggets 4-29-24

After a wire-to-wire win that kept their playoff hopes alive, the Lakers (1-3) are back in Denver and looking to extend their series against the Nuggets (3-1) with a win to force a Game 6. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet and nationally on TNT.

UPDATED INJURY REPORTS
The Lakers updated the status of injured forward Jarred Vanderbilt on Sunday, upgrading him to questionable with the mid-foot sprain he suffered against the Celtics back on February 1st that cost him the final 32 games of the regular season and the first four games of this series vs. Denver. The Vanderbilt news comes on the heels of Christian Wood being upgraded to available for Game 4 and no longer being on the injury report at all after knee surgery kept him out of the lineup since the All-Star break.

Wood did not play in Game 4 and even if Vanderbilt's status improves and he is upgraded for this game or next, it would be a significant hurdle for him to clear to go from not playing in two months to jumping right back into playoff basketball without missing a beat, to say nothing of being able to play at the level he was showing before being injured. That is a bridge the coaching staff will have to cross if and when he is officially cleared by the medical team, though.

The Lakers are not on the only team with updates to their injury report, however, with Jamal Murray is being listed as questionable for the game with a left calf strain for Denver. Murray could be seen grabbing at the back of his leg in the 4th quarter of Game 4, but he was able to finish the contest without any further incident.

That fact that he stayed in the game and carries a questionable (rather than doubtful) status for Game 5 implies he will give it a go. Remember, too, when these teams faced off on March 2nd, Murray was listed as questionable with an ankle issue that cost him the previous game, but he suited up against the Lakers anyway and scored 25 points and dished out 11 assists while making critical plays down the stretch.

In saying that, the Lakers had success in Game 4 involving Murray defensively by either putting him into pick-and-rolls when he was defending Austin Reaves or D'Angelo Russell or, when he would switch, posting him up with LeBron James. If Murray is not 100% physically, the Lakers could try to further test him defensively to see if they can gain an edge either in that individual matchup or by forcing help and then getting the Nuggets in rotation and force them into more difficult positions as a team.

AD'S PLAYOFF PUSH
Through four playoff games Anthony Davis is playing at an elite level, pouring in the points at an efficient level, rebounding at an exceptional rate, and anchoring the team's defense while defending the reigning Finals MVP and one of one of the best players in the world in Nikola Jokic. His per-game averages are truly eye-popping:

To put this in perspective, for the playoffs, AD is 5th in points per game, 1st in rebounds, and 1st in field goal percentage of players who take at least 10 shot attempts. Offensively, his impact has also gone beyond his individual production, operating as the primary screener in the Lakers schemes to not only help his teammates get open but to then use his roll gravity and threat of finishing as a way to occupy the Nuggets rim protection and allow his ball-handling teammates cleaner shots at the rim.

And though he certainly has his hands full defending Jokic one-on-one (as does everybody), he is holding up well to all the banging to make Jokic's life more difficult than any other Lakers defender (Jokic is 20 of 39 shooting vs. AD and 23 of 33 vs. everyone else per the NBA's tracking data), and performing expertly in the Lakers pick-and-roll coverages to help slow down the rest of the Nuggets offense and in particular help with Jamal Murray.

It is not rare for AD to play to a high-level in the postseason, however. In fact, it is par for the course for his career. Davis has consistently raised his production in the playoffs, showing an ability to not only carry a heavier burden in terms of playing more minutes, but by consistently upping his scoring and rebounding while also shooting the ball better. Needless to say, then, Davis is living up to his own historical standard and proving why he's one of the best players in the world. Period.

GAME 5 KEYS
Through four games, the recipe for success from both teams is fairly well established. In the lone game the Lakers won, they were able to win the rebounding battle, match the Nuggets offense in the 2nd half -- and especially in the 3rd quarter, and then get good production from their guards to better distribute the scoring and allow LeBron to be more of an off-ball worker through the course of the game and close things out down the stretch in the 4th.

Additionally, in the last two games the Lakers have had great success attacking the Nuggets defensive paint, using drives, post ups, the pick-and-roll, and transition chances to score at the rim. The Lakers scored 70 and 72 points in the paint in Games 3 and 4 respectively have really been able to find the crevices in Denver's defense to use those paint attacks as the foundation of their offensive success.

Heading into Game 5, then, it is fairly clear that the team that can best protect their own defensive paint while also controlling the rebounding battle will put themselves in the best position to win the game. For the Lakers, a key ingredient to this will be limiting Aaron Gordon. In Game 3, Gordon was dominant on the offensive glass and as a slasher and cutter to get points in the paint, but in Game 4 he found much less success and was relatively quiet. If the Lakers can steer Gordon more towards the latter on Monday night, they will give their winning chances a big boost.

On the other side of the ball, Denver is sure to do their best to limit the Lakers points in the paint, particularly after Nuggets' coach Michael Malone made it such a point of emphasis in his postgame remarks following Game 4. The Lakers can and should test Denver's ability to accomplish this task by continuing to attack and playing through LeBron and AD in all the same ways they have to this point in the series. That said, the Lakers guards and perimeter players must also be prepared to take and make outside shots should Denver sell out to slow down the Lakers activity inside.

To that end, so far this series, the Lakers have only attempted 30 three-pointers one time (in Game 2) and for the series are averaging just 28 attempts a game -- a shade over four fewer attempts than the regular season. While it's clear the Lakers prefer to do their work closer to the basket, a higher volume night from beyond the arc -- especially if those shots are falling -- could give the Lakers the type of scoring boost they need to force this series back to Los Angeles.

Overall, though, this game will be as much about mentality and effort as it will tactical answers and the ongoing battle of adjustments both sides are making. The Lakers must be prepared for Denver to play their most spirited game yet and must not only match it and survive the runs the Nuggets are bound to go on, but show the resolve and focus of their own to push back and shift the game back in their favor.