DENVER (AP) – Unlike the crowd that drowned out the Los Angeles Lakers' pregame introductions, the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets entered Saturday night's playoff party a little late.
However, after a slow start, they improved their offense and defense, defeating the Lakers 114-103 in the opening game of the Western Conference playoffs behind Nikola Jokic's 32 points and 12 rebounds, their ninth straight victory over the Lakers.
After LeBron James scored 19 points in the first half, capped by three pull-ups from 32 feet in the final second to give the Lakers a 60-57 lead, the Nuggets tied the NBA's all-time leading scorer in the second half. They limited themselves to nine points and did not allow a shot until 1 minute 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“We're not going anywhere,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “This is the playoffs. No team is in the playoffs. He can't be down 12 points early and just take the ball home. We still have a lot of fights to play.” I know it's still there and it was better than my early play.
“That's a good team over there. They came into the playoffs playing really well and it showed. LeBron was on the track, watching the way he played and shot the ball, tonight he was 50. I thought we were going to score.”
James scored 27 points and Anthony Davis had 32 points.
It wasn't even close to matching the current champion's skill.
Two other Nuggets players, Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 assists) and Anthony Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds) matched Jokic's double-double, and Michael Porter Jr. also came close with 19 points and eight boards. did.
Denver handed James his fourth loss in 17 first-round starts, but Malone said: This is going to be a hell of a series. ”
The Lakers haven't beaten the Nuggets since Dec. 16, 2022. They will try again Monday night in Game 2 at Ball Arena, where Denver is 34-8 on the season.
“To be honest, we're desperate too. We don't want to lose at home,” Jokic said. “I think every game will be interesting. So, hopefully we can match them and be better physically than them.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham echoed Malone's sentiments about the competitive series, saying, “Everybody's going to go crazy after one game, but I give them credit for holding serve at home.” Told. They're a tough home team and generally hard to beat, but they're really strong at home. …(But) we did a lot of good things there tonight. ”
Denver did a lot more.
The Nuggets scored 18 second-chance points with 15 offensive rebounds, 10 more points than the Lakers, who only grabbed six offensive boards. And while the Nuggets committed just four turnovers (only one by their starters), the Lakers turned the ball over 10 times, including a whopping seven by James.
“I thought we played good ball tonight, but it could have been better,” James said. “There's not a lot of margin for error against a team in Denver, especially on their home floor. They're a team that's been through everything. Obviously, they're the defending champions, so they've got to execute and make their shots. You have to decide, you have to protect it, and you can't give them extra possessions.”
After halftime, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored all 12 of his points, made three 3-pointers and a 13-0 run put the Nuggets in control at 89-74 in the third quarter.
The coach's decision comes after a trying week for the family, including the sentencing of his brother Corban Porter and former Toronto Raptors guard to six years in prison for a fatal drunk driving accident on Friday. As Malone expected, Porter excelled on the court. Jontay Porter was kicked out of the NBA for betting on basketball and leaking confidential information to other bettors.
“I think I definitely tried to compartmentalize,” Porter said. “Bad things and sad things have happened to some of my brothers, but I have another 15 or 6 brothers here. I knew I had to do my job.”
The Nuggets entered the playoffs under heavy scrutiny, but they were extremely confident in their chances of winning a consecutive championship, as they matched a franchise record with 57 wins in the regular season, four more than last year.
One sign of their laxity: Jokic, who appears in the trailer for Despicable Me 4, in which the minions seek therapy because they think they're the boss, is black and gray. He arrived at the ball arena wearing a striped scarf and gray pants. He resembles Felonius Grue, the main character in the film series.
James should have shown up dressed like Vector because he played the perfect villain, at least until halftime.
Denver dominated the Lakers in last season's Western Conference Finals, but it was the penultimate step the Nuggets had to clear before winning their first NBA title.
“I don’t fall into the mindset of, ‘Here we go again,’” James said. “In one game, they defended their home court. They have a chance to come back even better on Monday.”
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