Lakers' playoff futility vs. Nuggets recalls other streaks - ESPN

The Los Angeles Lakers just can't beat the Denver Nuggets.

Despite being up by as much as 20 points, the Lakers fell to the Nuggets 101-99 on Monday night to trail 2-0 in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. After LeBron James missed a 3-pointer, Jamal Murray stormed down the court and hit a 15-foot game winner over Anthony Davis. Though the Lakers will be heading back home for Game 3, the loss is just another tally in their bleak ledger of failure against the Nuggets.

In fact, the Lakers are on a six-game playoff losing streak against Nikola Jokic & Co. — 10 games if you count the regular season. Los Angeles is fighting an uphill battle in the playoffs anyway, but with a Nugget-shaped roadblock in its way, things are looking dire.

Surprisingly, this isn't even close to the longest playoff losing streak against a single team in the past 20 years. Sometimes, a team just has another squad's number — and, as you'll see, the former team generally involves LeBron.

The 2008-09 Cavaliers swept the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. LeBron James then left for the Miami Heat, marking the end of that particular nightmare for Atlanta.

Until he came back.

James picked up where he left off, sweeping the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals in the 2014-15 season. He'd do it again in the 2015-16 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavaliers haven't played the Hawks in the playoffs since then, meaning this streak is technically still ongoing.

This one, at least, didn't start with a sweep. The 2006-07 Pistons had an impressive lineup, with Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Chris Webber making for a formidable starting five. They even finished first in the Central division, two