On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets continued their dominance over the Los Angeles Lakers. For the 12th time in 13 games, Denver defeated Los Angeles, this time ending their 2024 NBA Playoffs run.
This is the second straight year the Nuggets eliminated the Lakers from the postseason. Last season, it came in the Western Conference Finals; this time, it was in the first round they sent them packing.
When taking a look at some of the numbers from the series, it is surprising that the Lakers are going home this early. In some facets of the game, they held a huge edge over the Nuggets, such as time spent winning.
Denver was at a huge disadvantage in that regard, as they spent over 71 percent of the first four games trailing, yet came out ahead with a 3-1 series lead. That wasn’t the only statistical oddity, as the Nuggets made some NBA history during the elimination game.
As shared by Jack Coyne, an NBA Data Analyst, the Nuggets had only nine free throw attempts in their Game 5 win. The Lakers had 27, continuing their lopsided trend of attempting more free throw attempts than their opponents.
According to Coyne, this is the first time in NBA Playoff history that a team has won a series-clinching game while attempting single-digit free throws and their opponent attempting 25+.
This is nothing new for Lakers opponents, as the free throw disparity has been abnormally large in recent seasons. Despite a favorable whistle from referees, Los Angeles has not been able to parlay that into victories.
It also goes to show just how good the Nuggets are. Despite being outscored by 10 points at the free throw line, they still came away with the victory. They will now face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.
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