NBA legend Magic Johnson points finger at load management after Lakers' early playoff exit

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs over the past couple of years.

Denver swept Los Angeles in last season's Western Conference Finals and have now eliminated the Lakers in the first round of this year's playoffs. While the Lakers managed to avoid a four-game sweep this year, Los Angeles was largely overwhelmed by the defending NBA champions.

Nuggets star Jamal Murray's late-game heroics, which were marred by controversy, and Lakers forward Anthony Davis' injury in Game 5 are just some of the reasons Denver won the series.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Magic Johnson says the Lakers' load management during the season is the primary reason why his former team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in 2024. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images/File)

But NBA legend Magic Johnson pointed to what he believes is the primary reason his former team was eliminated during the first round of the playoffs: load management.

LEBRON JAMES NONCOMMITTAL ON FUTURE WITH LAKERS AFTER EARLY PLAYOFF EXIT

"The Lakers have nobody but themselves to blame. They wouldn’t have been in the play-in game or finished as a 7th seed this season if they hadn’t lost too many games because of load management," Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

VIEW THE POST ON X

The Lakers got off to a slow start in the regular season, which ultimately resulted in the team's NBA Play-In tournament berth. But the Lakers' two biggest stars did not appear to sit out of games to simply rest, as Johnson suggested.

Magic Johnson (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images/File)

LeBron James, 39, played in almost every game down