Holding a significant 3-0 advantage in their series against the Lakers, the Nuggets had the opportunity to inflict a sweep on them this Saturday. And their attitude heading into Game 4, which was ultimately lost, didn’t really please Angelinos fans.

History seemed about to repeat itself. As in 2023, when the two teams met in the Western Conference finals, the Nuggets seemed well on their way to inflicting a sweep on the Lakers. However, unlike last year, they were unable to finish at the Crypto.com Arena, beaten 108-119 by their hosts. This, after a pre-match which caught the attention of many observers.

The Nuggets’ alleged lack of respect explained

Temporarily installed in Los Angeles for a few days, Mike Malone’s men were able to go without incident to the Lakers grounds to prepare for their Game 4. Thus, as tradition dictates, they were able to make their mark on the field a few tens of minutes before the jump ball. However, their attire to do this appeared as a lack of respect among some:

Nuggets players warming up in tap dances?? I can no longer tolerate this disrespect

As shown in these images captured by ESPN , Michael Porter Jr., Reggie Jackson and Peyton Watson did indeed arrive in tap dancing on the floor. But contrary to what Purple & Gold fans may have believed, this was not of their own free will:

The bus carrying the Nuggets players’ shoes was a little delayed in its journey to the venue this Saturday for Game 4, I am told. Some players performed their shootaround and began their warm-up with tap dances. The bus has since arrived.

No, the Nuggets did not take their Game 4 against the Lakers lightly to the point of deliberately warming up in tap dances. It remains to be seen whether this pre-match incident could have had any impact on the progress of the match.