Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, during the second half of Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series on Monday, April 22, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
MANILA, Philippines – The NBA Playoffs, especially the first round series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, are sending basketball fans around the world into a frenzy, including PBA players Chris Newsome and Aaron Black.
But just because the two swingmen share a bond within the Meralco Bolts locker room doesn't mean they're in the same boat.
On one hand, Black jokingly looked irritated after Meralco's crucial 82-76 victory over Phoenix in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
READ: NBA: Nuggets on the brink of sweeping Lakers with Game 3 victory
“That was terrible,” Black said jokingly, referring to the Nuggets' 112-105 victory over the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, literally hours before the Bolts won the Fuel Masters.
“To be honest, I turned the game off with three minutes left in the third quarter and turned it back on with six minutes left. It felt like they weren’t really in their flow.”
The Lakers' loss put Black, who finished with Player of the Game honors on Friday with 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, in a loss, especially since his favorite team is now one loss away from elimination.
Aaron Black of the Meralco Bolts at the PBA Philippine Cup. –PBA IMAGES
“It's tough when your third-leading scorer has zero points and with a team like Denver, they have four guys who can score 20 points, so you need a third and a fourth to help,” Black said of the Lakers.
READ: NBA: Jamal Murray's buzzer-beater gives Nuggets 2-0 lead over Lakers
In 24 minutes of action, Los Angeles' star point guard D'Angelo Russell was held hostage by the Nuggets defense for zero points.
Anthony Davis made up for it with a monster double-double of 33 points and 15 rebounds, while NBA star LeBron James had an overall 26-point, nine-assist, six-rebound but ultimately unsuccessful game.
You know what they say about the purple and gold faithful – they'll cling to whatever hope they have left and while the chance of a Lakers comeback is relatively low, it's not zero.
“I’m a proud Laker fan, so I’ll say it’s going to be a Lakers comeback,” Black said.
“Meralco Bolts' Chris Newsome the PBA Philippine Cup”. –PBA IMAGES
Newsome, on the other hand, had a much bigger smile after Meralco's win, despite his knee injury.
Raising your playoff hopes in the All-Filipino Conference with a 4-5 record is great, but seeing your favorite team win a few hours early? Almost priceless.
Newsome, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds, even quoted the legendary Lakers figure in the process. Talk about cold.
“As a Nuggets fan, I'm very happy to see the team doing well, but like Kobe (Bryant) said, 'the work is not over.' Maybe we can close out in Los Angeles, but the closing games are the hardest,” said the Gilas Pilipinas guard with a big smile.
“I thought it was a good game. The Lakers came out strong, but the story is the same in the second. They were ahead at halftime and the Nuggets really made an adjustment. I will definitely say the Nuggets are one of the best teams at adjusting and you can see it in the game, they make live adjustments.”
Newsome got it right in his analysis of Game 3. Los Angeles led Denver at halftime 53-49, before the Nuggets showed their worth as defending league champions.
Denver had an offensive meltdown in the second half of the game, with four players scoring 20 points or more in the process.
Aaron Gordon recorded a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds, Jokic had a 24-point, 15-rebound game, Jamal Murray had 22 to his name, while Michael Porter Jr. recorded a double-double of 29 points and 15 rebounds.
And so, the Nuggets are in the same position they were in last year: successfully sweeping the seventh-seeded Laker.
But will it happen again in this year's NBA Playoffs? Newsome can't say for sure.
“That's hard (to predict), but I'll probably take the Nuggets sweep over the Lakers comeback. However, I definitely think it will be the Nuggets at five.”
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Game four between the Lakers and Nuggets takes place on Sunday morning (Manila time) at the same location in Los Angeles.
