3 Reasons why Denver Nuggets ended Los Angeles Lakers’ cinderella run
By Ryan McCrary
Role players stepped up in a big way
Another reason the Nuggets were so successful in this series is that their starters and role players, like Michael Porter Jr. and noted x-factors Kentavius Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown, stepped up and played extremely well.
Michael Porter Jr.’s numbers may not pop off the page, as he averaged a modest 15 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game on 58.1% true shooting. Still, he was awesome in his role as an off-ball shooter, shooting 42.4% from three and recording an assist rate of 10.8%.
His production as a passer wasn’t anything special this series, but it’s better than what he usually produces, and we saw him make more extra passes which allowed him to be more valuable playing without the basketball.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a strong series as well, averaging 15 points, three rebounds, and two steals per game on 63.1% true shooting. He was really effective as a shooter, shooting 44.4% on nearly seven three-point attempts per game, and he had an awesome performance in game one, scoring 21 points on 52.9% shooting from the field.
Bruce Brown wasn’t a starter like Michael Porter Jr. and KCP, but he was still highly productive, averaging around 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game on 62.7% true shooting.
He was really good as a rim finisher, shooting 68.8% in the restricted area, with 63.6% of his attempts being unassisted. He was also a solid passer, sporting an assist rate of 12.6% while turning the ball over just once all series. Obviously, he doesn’t handle the ball very often, so it’s not surprising that he didn’t have many turnovers. Still, his turnover rate of just 2.5% for the whole series is pretty remarkable.