Darvin Ham sent a loud message to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets

 

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is often criticized – and even ignored by LeBron James – for his in-game decisions, but when it comes to motivating his players, he delivers. After defeating the New Orleans Pelicans to earn a spot in the NBA Playoffs against their arch rival Denver Nuggets, Ham shook the locker room with his declaration of war toward the Nuggets.

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Darvin Ham throws shots at Nuggets

The Lakers held off the Pelicans to capture a 110-106 victory in the Play-In Tournament, which resulted in the No. 7 seed and a matchup with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets.

Riding high from the win, the Lakers coach sensed an opportunity to rally his troops.

“Back to 0-0,” Ham proclaimed while holding up his hands to represent the clean slate against the defending champs.

“We with all the smoke and we ain’t ducking no fades!” he said, indicating that his team is up for a fight with its big rival.

By publicly starting the battle, Ham puts his top soldier, LeBron James, front and center in the line of fire. It’s easy for the coach to say that his team won’t back down, but he doesn’t have to guard Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray.

History between Lakers and Nuggets

 

Like their coach, Lakers fans are hoping this confrontation with the 2023 NBA Champions goes different than in the past.

Denver swept Los Angeles 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals last season en route to their title, and followed that performance up with a 3-0 record against the Lakers during the 2023-2024 regular season.

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The one difference this time around is the health of LA’s star players. The Nuggets have not had to contend with a healthy combination of James and Anthony Davis for a full series, which gives hope to the underdogs.

The first shots have been fired. Now, the war begins Saturday night in Denver.