LA Lakers fans blame Kim Kardashian as 'curse' that hit Arsenal ...

Los Angeles Lakers fans believe that the Kim Kardashian "curse" has reached the 17-time NBA champions and star man LeBron James - but in a different way. The Lakers fell 3-0 down in the Western Conference Play-Off final series to the Denver Nuggets with the celebrity absent for the games. The Kim K "curse" has also been attributed to Premier League team Arsenal's title downfall, after the 42-year-old was present for the Gunners' Europa League exit to Sporting Lisbon.

Fast forward a few months and Arsenal blew their league lead with Manchester City completing a three-peat despite Mikel Arteta's men leading the division for over 90 per cent of the season. City's defence of their Premier League crown was confirmed following Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Kardashian was at both semi-final wins over the Golden State Warriors last week but has missed the Lakers' clashes with the Nuggets. Daughter North West was courtside, but Lakers fans believe James and Co suffered without Kim's presence.

The Lakers lost 119-109 on their home court at Crypto.com Arena and will need a miracle to stage a comeback. "Kim Kardashian wasn't there," a fan said on Twitter. "Lakers need her for game 4."

While D'Angelo Russell's poor performance, in particular, has been highlighted and many believe his downturn in form has come with Kardashian absent. He managed three points in 20 minutes. "Get Kim Kardashian back at the crypt I'm convinced she came to see Dlo cause man has been a** since she left," another fan said.

James, who's chasing a fifth NBA ring, hasn't covered himself in glory so far in the series with the Nuggets, and he has left fans stunned with a series of fumbles. The 38-year-old fumbled a dunk, leaving jaws dropped, with many claiming they've "never seen him do that".

"Just got to get one," said James on the upcoming Game Four. "Just one at a time. Just focus on Game 4, and you know, that's all you can really think about."

The Nuggets can confirm their place in the NBA finals on Tuesday, May 23 with another win on the Lakers' court. Despite dominating the Lakers, the narrative has largely surrounded a fairytale prospect of James and Co completing a legendary comeback. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone didn't pull his punches. "The national narrative [after Game 1] was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine,'" Malone said. "No one talked about Nikola just had a historic performance. ... The narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. … You put that in your pipe, you smoke it. And you come back, and you know what, we're gonna go up 2-0."