Lakers' Darvin Ham on Stopping Nuggets' Nikola Jokić: 'S--t, I Don't Know What to Do'

The Los Angeles Lakers have played just one game in their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, but head coach Darvin Ham might already be out of ideas.

"S--t, I don't know what to do," Ham told reporters while laughing when discussing how to stop Nuggets big man Nikola Jokić.

In fairness to Ham, nobody can stop Jokić.

He is on the verge of winning his third MVP in four seasons after averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from deep this season.

He can run the offense like a point guard from the elbow, extend his game beyond the arc and dominate any defender in the league on the blocks. Los Angeles has an elite defender in Anthony Davis, but even he can only do so much against the league's top player.

It seemed like the Lakers might steal Game 1 on the road when they jumped out to a double-digit lead, but Jokić was inevitable. He took over for extended stretches and finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it was more of the same in this matchup.

The Nuggets swept the Purple and Gold in last season's Western Conference Finals and then won all three of the regular-season matchups in 2023-24. The inability to stop Jokić was one of the primary storylines for most of those games and was once again in Game 1 of the rematch in these playoffs.

Perhaps Ham can figure something out as the series continues in Monday's Game 2. If he doesn't, the Lakers will be facing another quick exit.