Before the game, in response to a question about what was different with this season's Lakers compared to last, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone said, 'We only played them three times in the regular season and did not really see any difference.' Giving Coach Mike exactly what he asked for, the Lakers threw a handful of new looks at the team they already hadn't beaten in eight tries.
In the first quarter, the Lakers diverged from their typical substitution pattern, playing LeBron and AD for 11 minutes each instead of the typical six and 12 for their top two stars, respectively. They also ran 64% organized offense that quarter, a great mark considering the fact that the team is 19-2 when they do so more than 55% of the time.
Across less than 90 seconds in the second quarter, Russell turned the ball over in transition before smoking an open layup on a pass from LeBron James, which turned into a layup for the Nuggets on the other end. That sequence could be considered as much as a seven-point swing against the Lakers.
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