TITLE: LeBron James Urges Lakers to Mirror Nuggets’ “Championship DNA”
SLUG: lebron-james-urges-lakers-to-mirror-nuggets-championship-dna
CONTENT:
LeBron James says the Los Angeles Lakers must adopt the same winning habits that pushed the Denver Nuggets to last season’s NBA title.
Speaking after Saturday’s overtime victory against Denver at Crypto.com Arena, James emphasized that the Lakers’ recent surge will only matter if it turns into a sustainable approach. “We just want to continue to keep building good habits, continue playing the game the right way,” he said. “Denver’s a championship ball club…they have that championship DNA. That’s what we’re striving for.”
The Lakers erased a late deficit, forcing overtime before closing out a 123-120 win that secured the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Nuggets. James, now in his 23rd NBA season, made several hustle plays—including a crucial fourth-quarter dive for a loose ball—while ceding primary playmaking duties to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Saturday marked the first time in James’s career that he has not been asked to initiate most of the offense, a shift head coach Darvin Ham hopes will preserve the 39-year-old star for the postseason. Doncic delivered a 30-point triple-double, and the Lakers’ defense held Denver to 42 percent shooting after halftime.
James acknowledged that Denver’s core of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun consistently executes in close games, a standard Los Angeles aims to match. Over the past four seasons, the Nuggets have eliminated the Lakers twice in the playoffs, including a sweep in last year’s Western Conference Finals.
Reaves praised James for adapting his role. “When your leader sacrifices, it’s easy for everyone else to follow,” the third-year guard said. “It shows what winning really means to him.”
Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine games and will open a four-game road trip Tuesday in Phoenix.
Source: LakersNation.com
