The Los Angeles Lakers have dropped their second straight game after falling to the Denver Nuggets on Monday. The Nuggets didn't have a tough job of handling the opponents, defeating the Lakers by a 28-point margin 129-101. Denver was dominant on Monday as they did have a 24-point lead at halftime. The winners are on a three-game winning streak, while L.A. is also on a streak -- but a negative one. The Lakers ended on the losing side just a day before on Sunday to the Philadelpia 76ers at Staples Center.
Ivica Zubac was ballin'
Los Angeles Lakers center Ivica Zubac put up a great performance against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.
The 19-year-old rookie scored a career-high of 25 points on 12 of 15 shooting. He as well had 12 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Lakers coach Walton decided to insert Zubac into the starting five against Denver, which was the rookie's third NBA start.
Except Zubac, point guard Jordan Clarkson and small forward Brandon Ingram had a good outting. Clarkson notched 19 points along with three assists and two rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Ingram, who was drafted at number two in last year's NBA draft, spent 27 minutes on the floor and contributed with 14 points for his team.
D'Angelo Russell didn't have a particularly good day in the office on Monday. Prior to the game coach Walton said that Clarkson will start against Denver in place of Russell, revealed Mike Trudell of the Spectrum SportsNet Twitter.
Second-year guard Russell ended the game with 10 points on 4 of 14 shooting from the field, had three assists and steals, while grabbing a rebound.
Walton said Clarkson will start at PG tonight, moving Russell to the bench. “We’re going to look for opportunities to try new things.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 14, 2017
Where the Lakers stand now, what's next for the team?
The Los Angeles Lakers didn't make any moves in the NBA standings after their loss to the Denver Nuggets.
With a record of 20 wins and 47 losses on the season, the Lakers are the worst team of the Western Conference. They as well hold the second worst record in the entire league, behind the Brooklyn Nets (12-53).
The next destination for L.A. will be the state of Texas, where they will be meeting the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
The two teams have met twice this season and the season-series stands at 1-1. In the last game between those sides, the Rockets handed a 39-point loss to the Lakers. Whoever wins on Wednesday will clinch the season-series as the two teams won't be meeting anymore this season.
