The Lakers' late-game matchup change on Nikola Jokic briefly turned the tide in Game 1. According to coach Darvin Ham, that's just the start. “It’s not any one coverage that you’re going to be able to stay in versus that kid.” Story from BennettDurando
Maybe the Lakers actually will attempt kidnapping Nikola Jokic at some point during this series.
“It’s not any one coverage that you’re going to be able to stay in versus that kid,” Ham said. “There’s no one person that’s going to stop him. It has to be done by committee. … You have to switch up matchups at times and you have to switch up coverages. We didn’t want to go too deep into the in-game adjustments. You know, it’s still that ultimate chess game.”
After Anthony Davis guarded Jokic one-on-one most of the game, bench big Rui Hachimura matched up on him down the stretch, even with Davis still on the floor. It added an extra paint presence. Davis became more of a double-teamer and help defender when Jokic tried to take on Hachimura. Jokic finished Game 1 with his fourth triple-double in the last five games: 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting, 21 rebounds and 14 assists. In limited reps against the Lakers’ new look, he decelerated, shooting 0 for 2 with a turnover in the fourth quarter when Hachimura was on him and Davis was roaming. Ham wanted Hachimura to force Jokic to move “east to west” more.
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