Bill Plaschke: Darvin Ham is on the hot seat as the Lakers are on the brink of elimination

Mike Brown barely one year. Mike D'Antoni two years. Byron Scott two years. Luke Walton three years. Frank Vogel three years.

(Michael Malone of the defending champion Nuggets? Nine years. Just saying.)

It might not seem fair, but the seat under Ham is growing untenably hot after the Nuggets' halftime adjustments Thursday resulted in a 12-point advantage in a third quarter that stole the remains of what was once a 12-point Lakers lead and quieted a once-raucous crowd.

Well, OK, the place didn't go completely quiet.

Amid four consecutive Lakers turnovers in that third quarter, the air was filled with boos.

The Lakers have now been outscored by 31 points in the three third quarters in this series. They have now lost three games in which they have led by 12 points, 20 points and 12 points.

The ugliness Thursday reached a peak midway through the fourth quarter, when Snoop Dogg made a big show of leaving the game early and was soon followed by many of the fans.

Meanwhile, at least one Laker was just as checked out on the bench. D'Angelo Russell, who missed all seven of his shots on a stunningly scoreless night, was seen sitting outside the huddle during a timeout while appearing to be eating.

These are not good looks. These are the kind of looks that get Lakers coaches canned, especially coaches who are already being widely criticized for ill-fitting rotations and unfocused strategy.

As much as Ham is liked personally by the organization — and this columnist — the truth is that the Lakers have not only been outplayed by the Nuggets, but Ham has been outcoached by Malone.

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