Lakers' Ham: AD to start WCF defending Jokic

Anthony Davis will get the first crack at defending Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference finals, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said Monday, according to NBA.com's Mike Trudell.

Ham added that the team has "a couple guys" who can defend Jokic with physicality, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

Mo Bamba, the tallest player on the Lakers roster at 7-feet, was ruled out for Tuesday's opening game due to ankle soreness. The 25-year-old last played on April 28 against the Memphis Grizzlies.

"We'll do everything we can to do our work early and keep him off balance," Ham said, according to Trudell.

Ham joked that the alternative method of dealing with Jokic is to "try to catch him out of his house and kidnap him," per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

The two teams squared off in the 2020 Western Conference finals, which the Lakers won in five games. Davis, LeBron James, and veteran centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee held Jokic to 21.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and five assists. The Serbian big man was consistently in foul trouble, averaging 4.6 over the series.

Jokic has improved immensely since the bubble playoffs, winning two MVPs and averaging 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in the first two rounds of the postseason.

"They're a better team," James said, according to Trudell. "Obviously, more experienced. Every game, every postseason, every matchup allows you to continue to grow as a franchise, as a team, and they've done that. We come in with the utmost respect for this team - we look forward to the matchup."