The Lakers sit just one game ahead of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings and own the tie-breaker. Los Angeles' outlook entering the playoffs looked great, until Luka Doni suffered a hamstring injury in Thursday night's blowout loss.

Although he missed a month of action with a knee injury, Jokić has been his dominant self when in the lineup, as the three-time NBA MVP and one-time NBA Finals MVP is averaging 27.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.8 assists per game while shooting 57.3 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from behind the arc.

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Last week, the Nuggets had a full roster and a new rotation. This week, the picture has changed in the lead-up to the playoffs.

The Denver Nuggets are finally out of excuses with just 11 games left in the regular season.

The Denver Nuggets have just 12 games remaining in their regular season, are 5-5 in their last 10 games, and sit at a lowly sixth place in the Western Conference as the clock slowly ticks down before the postseason gets underway. Time is dwindling for the ...