LeBron James Keeps It Real About Biggest Reason LA Lost to Denver Again

The Los Angeles Lakers fell and fell hard again to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Although the Lakers played well enough to win more games than they should've, leading for 70 percent of the series, L.A. couldn't close the deal when it mattered most. 

You could point to being outrebounded in four of the five games, lack of execution towards the end of games, or even Darvin Ham. But Lakers superstar LeBron James is taking a different approach, blaming it on their shooting from three-point land. James kept it real when reflecting on why L.A. fell to Denver in the first round, in a new episode of his Mind The Game podcast.  

That's one way to put it. Overall, the Lakers shot 29.9 percent from three-point land in the postseason. James led the way, shooting 38.5 percent from behind the arc, knocking down 10 threes on 27 attempts. 

The Lakers took a significant step back from their three-point shooting compared to the regular season. In 82 regular season games, the Lakers shot 37.7 percent from three, with James and D'Angelo Russell leading the way. James shot 41 percent from three, a career-high, and Russell shot 41.5 percent in the regular season. 

However, Russell's three-point percentage dropped significantly compared to the regular season, as he shot 31.8 percent from three in five playoff games. Anthony Davis attempted five threes and made none, Austin Reaves shot 26.9 percent, and Taurean Prince shot 29.4 percent. 

The Lakers failed miserably in translating their fanatic shooting from the regular season to the postseason. Overall, it was not a pretty scene for the Purple and Gold, and it's partly why they lost the series.

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