Marc Gasol’s performance in the 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets once again showed the center’s importance to a successful title defense for the Los Angeles Lakers this year.
The 36-year-old came off the bench on Monday having sat out the loss to the Toronto Raptors the previous night. Gasol’s effort on defense helped L.A. suffocate Denver’s offense as the Nuggets ended up shooting just 43.9% from the field. In addition, the center chipped in 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one block.
Gasol’s role has decreased significantly since Andre Drummond’s arrival.