LeBron James, Lakers confident for Nuggets rematch as playoffs ‘sprint’ begins

In the regular-season finale, the Lakers’ superstars did the heavy lifting. On Tuesday, the supporting cast stepped up as LeBron (6-of-20 FG) and Davis (6-of-16 FG) struggled from the field.

(AD said he was restricted by back spasms on Tuesday but expects to be 100% by Game 1 on Saturday.)

“Aint no more pace,” LeBron said about his team’s intensity. “Pace yourself for what? It’s a sprint, now. We already been through the main thing. I’ll do whatever it takes. All the percentages, and all that sh-t, it’s out the window. The season’s over with. It’s about just winning. Win the game.”

Russell (21 points, five 3s) officially put his late-season shooting slump to bed. Austin Reaves (16 points, six assists, five rebounds) effectively hounded C.J. McCollum (4-of-15 shooting). Gabe Vincent hit two huge 3s and provided key point-of-attack defense.

The Lakers shot 26-of-29 from the free-throw line, including their last 10 as the Pelicans closed the gap. LeBron and AD combined to shoot 18-of-20.

With Davis (15 rebounds, three blocks) manning the middle, the Lakers got stops when it mattered most and held the sharpshooting Pelicans to 9-of-30 from downtown.

“Bron just said it after the game,” said Ham. “What we saw in these two games is a microcosm of what we have to do be in the playoffs.”

The Lakers’ win sets up a tantalizing rematch with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and head coach Michael Malone. Including last year’s sweep, the Lakers have lost eight straight games to the Nuggets — most of which have been decided in the fourth quarter.

“They know what it takes. They know how to win,” LeBron responded when asked for “preliminary thoughts” on the Round 1 matchup.

“They’ve been extremely dominant on their home floor over the last few years. They got an MVP on their team. They got a closer on their team. They got high-level players, they got high IQ players. They got a hell of a coach.”

Denver opened the season with a 119-107 win at Crypto.com Arena. On Feb. 8, a few Lakers’ mental miscues proved the difference in an eight-point Nuggets victory. Denvers’ 124-114 win on March 2 was more of the same.

“We have to play mistake-free basketball, and make it tough on them,” LeBron said about the Nuggets. “If we can play the greatest game we can play, they’re gonna play the greatest game they play, it’s gonna come down to one or two possessions. We’ll see who executes then.”

Game 1 between the Lakers and Nuggets will tip off at 5:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Ball Arena.

“They’ve had a ton of success against our ballclub, but there’s always a new day,” stressed Ham. “We feel comfortable. We like where we are. We like where the spirit of our group is.”