How can the Los Angeles Lakers adjust ahead of a must-win Game 3 of the Western Conference finals back in L.A.?
No matter what the national storyline was after the opening game of the series against the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers are certainly not "fine" heading back home. Don't tell Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who prefers to play the underdog card, but Denver was favored coming into this series and is now overwhelmingly so (the team's minus-475 odds at Caesars Sportsbook imply an 80% chance of winning the series).
The Lakers will need at least one win in Denver to capture the series and have only two opportunities left against a team that is undefeated at home in these playoffs.