Event of the Day: Denver Nuggets versus Los Angeles Lakers
Our event of the day is the NBA clash between the Denver Nuggets and the LA Lakers at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The Nuggets made a near-perfect start to the season, winning nine of their first ten games. However, in the ten games since, Denver’s cracks have started to show as they have lost six of the last ten but still have an impressive record of 13-7. LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles has not gone as planned thus far as the Lakers have struggled to find any consistency and are currently seventh in the Western Conference. In spite of their imperfect start, they still have a winning record of 11-8 going into this game.
The Denver Nuggets have one of the most stubborn defences in the league and only two franchises give up less points on average. This defence is lead by fourth-year center Nikola Jokić, who leads the team in rebounds with 9.9 per game. The seven-foot Serbian also leads his side in steals, and adds 16.6 points per game at the other end to boot. However, Jokić will have a potentially onerous assignment in tonight’s game as he goes head-to-head with former Nugget JaVale McGee who has impressed in Lakers’ purple and gold this season. Even though it may not have been the dream start that LeBron envisioned for his tenure on the West Coast, the three-time NBA champion has still excelled in his new surroundings. Only Joel Embiid and Kevin Durant have scored more points this season than James who secured his season high in points last week as he dropped 51 points on one of his former teams. the Miami Heat. James and the Lakers enjoyed a three-game winning streak last week, but fell to defeat against the Orlando Magic last time out. These two organisations have already done battle once already this season, on that occasion the Lakers came out on top, winning 121-114 at the Staples Center. LeBron outscored the rest of the court in that game, grabbing 28 points, and Lakers’ Head Coach Luke Walton will rely on his perennial veteran again to help his side topple their conference rivals in this tricky clash.
Honourable mentions around the globe to the Roma versus Real Madrid match in the Champions League group stages, at the Stadio Olimpico. Both sides have been struggling domestically this year, but currently share the lead at the top of group G in this year’s Champions League competition. If either side can find the victory, they will secure their place in the knockout stages. Elsewhere in the Champions League, Juventus can book their ticket to the last-16 with a victory over Valencia. In the NHL, there is a Central Division clash as division leaders Nashville Predators welcome Colorado Avalanche to the Bridgestone Arena. Finally, it’s day four of the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand. Pakistan currently lead the second Test and are 197 runs ahead of their opponents, however New Zealand won the first Test and will hope for a flawless day at the crease to try and maintain their lead in the series.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by NBA