LeBron, Lakers ready to tackle ‘monster’ Jokic

LOS ANGELES: LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to overcome the formidable challenge posed by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets as the Western Conference playoff finals get under way on Tuesday.

After struggling through the regular season, the Lakers are within four wins of returning to the NBA Finals after ousting the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Now James and Lakers defensive star Anthony Davis are plotting an ambush of the top-seeded Nuggets in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference finals series on Tuesday.

The showdown is a rematch of the Lakers-Nuggets 2020 playoff series in the NBA’s COVID-19 bubble in Orlando, when the Lakers won 4-1 before going on to win their 16th championship.

Since then, however, Denver have matured significantly, with Jokic winning back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2021 and 2022 as part of a team that also includes the talented Jamal Murray.

James said Monday he has no doubt that the 2023 version of the Nuggets will be a stiffer proposition.

“They’re a better team,” James said when asked to compare Denver with the team beaten in Florida three years ago.

“Obviously, they’re more experienced. Every game, every postseason, every matchup allows you to continue to grow as a franchise, as a team, and they’ve done that.

“So, we come in with the utmost respect for this team that we’re challenged against and playing against, so look forward to the matchup.”

Denver and the Lakers squared their meetings in the regular season at two games apiece, with the Nuggets winning their most recent encounter on January 9.

Drawing firm conclusions from those results, however, is largely meaningless as the Lakers overhauled their roster in the mid-season