Nuggets loom, but Lakers are confident and ready for rematch: ‘We’re not ducking the smoke’

NEW ORLEANS — The were never going to duck the smoke. They heard the chatter over the 48 hours leading into the No. 7 vs. No. 8 Play-In Tournament game between them and the . They heard that they should purposely lose to avoid playing the No. 2 seed Nuggets. The defending champs swept the season series with the Lakers and have won eight straight games against them overall dating back to January 2023.

We already went through the marathon.… I’ll do whatever it takes. I mean, all the percentages and all that s***, it’s out the window. “The season’s over. So it’s about just winning. Win the game.” There are reasons to be more confident about the Lakers’ chances against the Nuggets this time around. They have the fifth-best record in the and fourth-best record in the West since Feb. 1, when they beat the on the road without James and Davis and kick-started their turnaround .

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