Rodgers Report: Defeating Denver

-Travis Rodgers

Los Angeles Lakers (8-6)
vs.
Denver Nuggets (9-6)
in
Los Angeles

Keys to Success
1. Contain the Scorers
2. Don't Stop Attacking
3. Guard the Threes

Contain the Scorers - Iverson and Melo cannot be stopped. Or if they can be, you can't plan to stop them. It has to be a combination of things. Expect the two to combine for at least 40 points. Just make them take bad shots and don't send them to the line repeatedly.

Don't Stop Attacking - Marcus Camby will block some shots and the Lakers are a team that have been getting a lot of their shots blocked this season, but outside Camby, Denver isn't a good defensive team. Attack those liabilities.

Guard the Three - JR Smith (43%), Diawara (41%), Wilks (40%), Bobby Jones (38%), Najera (37%), and even Kleiza cannot be left to shoot threes. Remember how Kleiza lit up the Lakers last season? You cannot let these unathletic players stand and launch. No reason to double too much, because you can't double Iverson AND Melo at the same time (you only have five players, after all).

Prediction
Lakers 96
Nuggets 92