The Nuggets unveiled a banner the last time the Lakers visited, and the Lakers will unveil a statue when the Nuggets visit.
The second matchup this season between Western Conference Finals adversaries will double as a celebration of Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. The Lakers will reveal a new statue of Bryant outside their arena Thursday afternoon, and the hosts will wear “Black Mamba” themed jerseys for the game (8 p.m. MT, TNT).
Before boarding a flight to California on Wednesday, the Nuggets (35-16) anticipated an emotional night. It has been more than four years since Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. The Nuggets were preparing for an afternoon home game that day as the news spread.
“I was in my office,” Denver coach Michael Malone said, “and one of the coaches came in and and was like, ‘Hey’ — and I’m not on (social media) — and he goes, ‘Have you heard?’ I go, ‘Heard what?’ He says, ‘There are reports that Kobe was in an accident.’ And we’re all like, no way. It was one of the weirdest locker rooms I’ve ever walked into. We’re getting ready to play a game, and the reality (hitting) of Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing with his daughter and all the other people that were in that helicopter. … And then trying to get our guys to go out there and play a game.
“Kobe’s a guy that so many of our guys have looked up to, and he was a motivating factor in their own careers. So that was a really tough day. It’s cool to be a small part of the Lakers honoring him.”
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, a two-time slam dunk contest runner-up, is from San Jose and recalls being inspired by one moment in particular.
“I remember watching him, Lakers vs. Warriors, when I was in Cali growing up as a kid,” Gordon said. “He got a breakaway and he did a 360. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”
Gordon had a similar breakaway last weekend and treated the fans at Ball Arena to a windmill dunk. Asked if he has a similar 360 in his bag for the next time he gets that opportunity, Gordon laughed.
“If I get a breakaway like that I’m probably gonna try to go through my legs,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I’m gonna get a breakaway like that. I don’t know how many more years I’m gonna be able to go through my legs. So I’ve gotta try it now.”
This won’t be the Nuggets’ first time in Crypto.com Arena since clinching a trip to the NBA Finals — they’ve visited the Clippers this season — but it will be their first road game against the Lakers since Game 4.
“Just the energy I think that’s gonna be in the building is going to be amazing,” said Christian Braun “… Just to be able to play on that night is obviously an honor. It’s going to be a very emotional night, and it’s just something very cool to be a part of.”
Dodgeball and paint shenanigans
Gordon showed up to practice Wednesday with small splotches of paint still lingering on his arm from an artistic project he was working on at home.
“I was doing a little throw-painting,” he said.
Gordon has a friend named Jeffrey who’s a sculptor in Orlando, where Gordon used to play. Jeffrey sent a 9-foot statue of an astronaut for Gordon to use as a creative outlet.
“I just filled up little baggies full of paint and chucked it at it, and it was just splattering all over the astronaut,” Gordon said. “I was covered in paint.”
When he arrived at work, he and his teammates starting chucking dodgeballs at one another. In an effort to keep the routine from becoming mundane after the 50-game mark, the Nuggets organized a coaches vs. players game at practice. The result was a 1-1 series split. Malone said there was no decisive Game 3 because he didn’t want the players to be disappointed in themselves while boarding the plane to Los Angeles.
“I actually didn’t hit anybody,” said Braun, who was designated the referee and rules specialist. “I’m not very good with my arms. I was more just, get the balls, dodge a little bit. I caught a couple.”
“I felt targeted. I took it a little personally,” Malone said. “Jamal (Murray) got me first game. Joker got me second game. And the smiles on their faces were a little disturbing when they did that.”
Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.
