Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Lakers HC slams 'insane asylum' take on avoiding Nuggets

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 4/17/24

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham slammed rumors that the team considered throwing their play-in tournament game against the New Orleans Pelicans to avoid facing the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

The Lakers defeated the Pelicans 110-106 on Tuesday to secure the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and a matchup against the No. 2 seed — and defending champion — Nuggets. That best-of-seven series opens at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Darvin Ham on the talk that the Lakers should have purposely blown the NOLA game to avoid Denver in the first round: “Insane asylum sources say?”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 17, 2024

Darvin Ham said anyone saying the Lakers should intentionally lose to duck the Nuggets in the first round is “just someone that got out of the insane asylum.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 17, 2024

Denver not only swept Los Angeles in the 2023 Western Conference Finals but has won eight in a row against the Lakers. The Nuggets won all three head-to-head meetings during the regular season and split their four tilts during the 2022-23 regular season.

The last time the Lakers defeated the Nuggets was on Dec. 16, 2022.

If it's any consolation for Ham's group, none of the last eight setbacks have been blowouts. Three of the four losses against Denver during last May's conference finals were decided by six points or fewer, including a 113-111 defeat in Game 4.

Los Angeles fell 119-107 in the 2023-24 season-opener on Oct. 24, 114-106 on Feb. 8 and 124-114 on March 2.

The Lakers have won 12 of their last 15 (including Tuesday's victory) to set up the rematch against two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.

A loss to New Orleans on Tuesday would've dropped Los Angeles into a do-or-die contest on Friday at home against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings eliminated the Golden State Warriors in the other play-in tournament game on Tuesday and will face the Pelicans, with the winner earning the eighth seed and a first-round series against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

More must-reads: