In a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals, Denver defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1.
Led by Nikola Jokic's 32 points, the defending champion Denver Nuggets overcame a slow start to defeat LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs first-round series.
The Nuggets, who defeated the Lakers in four games in the Western Conference finals en route to their first title last season, continued their dominance Saturday in star-studded Los Angeles.
The Nuggets took control in the third quarter with a 13-0 scoring run, led by Jokic with 12 rebounds and seven assists, Jamal Murray with 10 assists for 22 points, and Michael Porter Jr. with 19 points, leading the Lakers to 18 points. I kept it to . point.
James added 32 points and 14 rebounds, and Anthony Davis added 27 points for the Lakers, who cut the deficit from 15 points to six points early in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets pulled away again.
Jokic's only 3-pointer of the game increased the Nuggets' lead to 103-93. He dunked on James and took a hard fall with a minute left, but stayed in the game until the end.
“We had to change our mindset,” Jokic said of the Nuggets' third-quarter resurgence. “I thought our defense in the second half was great.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham said the Nuggets' 15-6 advantage in offensive rebounds was key as Denver racked up 18 second-chance points.
“We can't let them have multiple possessions,” Hamm said, adding he still believes the best-of-seven series, which resumes Monday, will be “a hard-fought battle.”
The game was the final game of the first day of the playoffs, with the Minnesota Timberwolves defeating the Phoenix Suns 120-95, the New York Knicks defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 111-104, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the Orlando Magic 97-97. I broke it with 83.
