Nikola Jokic’s mesmerizing efficiency reached new heights as he secured his sixth triple-double of the playoffs, amassing an astonishing 34 factors, 21 rebounds, and 14 assists, main the Denver Nuggets to an exciting 132-126 conquer the formidable Los Angeles Lakers within the opening recreation of the Western Conference finals.
Behind Jokic’s sizzling begin, sturdy end, and Jamal Murray’s 31 factors, Denver beat the Lakers within the opener of the West finals for the primary time.
After a gradual begin, Anthony Davis had 40 factors and 10 rebounds, and LeBron James completed with 26 factors, 12 boards and 9 assists. Austin Reaves chipped in 23 factors and fueled L.A.’s determined fourth quarter run that almost erased Denver’s 14-point cushion after three.
The Nuggets led by as many as 21, however the Lakers pulled inside three factors twice within the fourth quarter, as soon as on Reaves’ 3-pointer at 124-121 and once more on James’ pair of free throws that made it 129-126 with 1:12 remaining.
“Yeah, it took us a half to get into the game,” James mentioned, “and that was pretty much the ballgame right there. They punched us in the mouth to start. … I know the game is won in 48 minutes, but they set the tone in 24 minutes and we were playing catch-up for the next 24.”
Rui Hachimura guarded Jokic within the fourth quarter, permitting Davis to crowd the paint and complicate issues for the Nugget’s huge man to dominate the paint. But it wasn’t sufficient.
After Jokic sank two free throws with 26 seconds left to offer Denver a 131-126 lead, Murray poked the ball from James as he was about to take it to the ring, and Jokic gathered the free ball earlier than being fouled with 10.9 seconds left. He sank one in every of two, and James misfired from 3 because the seconds ticked off.
“I’d rather clean things up after a win in the Western Conference finals than after a loss, so that I will take it,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned. “But much work to do.”
Game 2 is Thursday evening at Ball Arena, the place the top-seeded Nuggets are 7-0 within the playoffs and 41-7 general, the most effective residence file within the league this season.
Jokic mentioned a day earlier that the Nuggets desperately wanted to keep away from following within the sneaker steps of the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, who dropped their residence opener to the Lakers and misplaced in six video games.
Moreover, James has gained his final 20 playoff collection through which his crew has gained the opener.
“We talked a lot about how the Lakers had gone into Memphis and Golden State and won Game 1 and wrestled control of the series right away,” Malone concurred. “And we’ve labored too arduous for that. So we don’t need to give it away.
“And come Thursday night, it will be even that much harder. Because, you know, they’re going to get off to a better start, I imagine. And so our game plan discipline and defensive understanding have to be much better for closer to 48 minutes.”
The Nuggets hadn’t taken Game 1 in opposition to the Lakers since 1979 once they gained the opener of the best-of-three collection solely to lose the subsequent two. That’s the closest the Nuggets have ever come to eliminating the Lakers, who’ve overwhelmed Denver 3 times within the West finals, together with within the Florida bubble in 2020.
Flashing his MVP credentials in a surprising show of energy within the first quarter, Jokic pulled down a dozen boards and dished out 5 assists to go along with eight factors. That made him the primary participant since 1997 to have a dozen or extra boards and at the least 5 assists in any quarter of an NBA playoff recreation.
The Lakers used an 11-2 run to chop the deficit to 11 factors earlier than Jokic responded with a jaw-dropping 3-pointer over the outstretched arm of Davis that hardly fluttered the web on the buzzer, leaving Davis to limp again to the bench in disbelief.
“Sometimes luck is on our side,” Jokic mentioned. “It’s a crazy shot, of course.”
The “Joker,” who missed out on his third consecutive NBA MVP award this yr when Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid edged him, had 19 factors, 16 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks by halftime because the Nuggets took a 72-54 lead into the locker room.
“Thank God it’s the best-of-seven, and it’s not the NCAA Tournament,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham mentioned. “It’s the first to four. So we’ll be OK, trust me.”
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