Lakers falter again, on brink of another playoff sweep to Nuggets - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Having just logged the 285th playoff game of his career — clearing the entire Denver Nuggets starting five's combined 275 — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James spoke from plenty of experience when he detailed what it takes to thrive in the postseason after Thursday night's 112-105 Game 3 loss.

«You're supposed to have anxiety and pressure — or feel the pressure,» James said after Denver went up 3-0 in their first-round series, one win away from sweeping L.A. into its summer for a second straight year. «That's what it's about. This is what the postseason is about.»

With Anthony Davis to his right, James endorsed his and the Lakers center's ability to perform when the games matter most. The pair combined for 59 of L.A.'s 105 points, with James finishing with 26 points on 12-for-20 shooting, six rebounds and nine assists and Davis leading L.A. with 33 points on 14-for-23 and 15 boards.

He didn't say the same for the rest of the Lakers, who were outplayed by a Denver team that had two players, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., each top the 20-point plateau to back stars Nikola Jokic (29 points, 15 rebounds) and Jamal Murray (22 points, nine assists).

Asked if the Lakers were overwhelmed by the Nuggets' level of execution, James said, «You'd have to ask the individuals that question and see how they feel. It's hard for me just to be like, 'This is what I think that guy feels.'… I can't do that. I'm not a mind-reader. I don't know.»

Nobody was able to ask Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell that question. After going scoreless in Game 3 on 0-for-7 shooting (0-for-6 from 3), he declined to speak to reporters after the game, according to a team spokesperson.

«We've been — me and this guy [Davis] have been