Nikola Jokic scores 32 as the Nuggets defeat the Lakers once again to win the first game of the series.

The Nuggets versus. Lakers series opener felt a lot like every other Nuggets game.
Early on, LeBron James and Anthony Davis made easy baskets, Los Angeles gave it their all against the reigning champs, even building a double-digit lead, and Denver then methodically and gradually battered its opponent into submission.

After a flurry of 3-pointers by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the third quarter, Nikola Jokic finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, and the Nuggets held off the Lakers 114-103 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday at Ball Arena.
Double-doubles were also delivered by Aaron Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Jamal Murray (22 points, 10 assists). After a shaky start, Michael Porter Jr. picked up steam to finish with 19 points and 8 rebounds.
They tried a little bit of everything against the two-time MVP ninety minutes after head coach Darvin Ham said at his pregame press conference that the Lakers will aim to limit Jokic’s touches. For the most of the evening, Jokic’s main opponent was power forward Rui Hachimura. Lakers made an attempt to front him. They attempted to use a guard to double-team his post touches. LeBron James matched up on him later. However, Anthony Davis did not guard him in the post until the very end.
Instead, the Lakers tried to punish Denver’s second unit inside by using Davis during Jokic’s rest period. He hardly ever challenged DeAndre Jordan inside, especially in the fourth quarter when they were down by double digits and needed his forcefulness most. And the Nuggets’ advantage grew to fifteen.
Davis went into attack gear when Jokic came back, but the Los Angeles comeback was too little, too late. With 1:15 remaining, James and Davis missed layups that would have brought the score to seven. Jokic dunk from the other side. He had a 15 for 23 field goal percentage.
Nonetheless, Denver’s 3-point shooting saw the most adjustment throughout the contest. A first-half 6-for-23 performance included some unusual misses on open opportunities. Caldwell-Pope then ignited it. Denver had a 14-point lead in the third quarter after going 6 for 11 from beyond the arc.
With his 32 points and 14 rebounds, Davis led Los Angeles. James only scored eight goals after the break, but he did add 27 points and eight assists.
Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, the two best-suited LeBron defenders for the Nuggets, both picked up two fouls early on, which put them in a difficult situation. Watson was compelled to have a taste of postseason action ahead of schedule after Gordon’s inside the opening five minutes. After checking in, he made a three-pointer right away after catching the subsequent sideline inbound ball. He had to make a lot of shots in the first quarter to stay up with the Lakers, who were scoring baskets at will. With the fouls, James had Watson pushed into a corner, and there was no sign of respite in sight.
Michael Malone dug ten deep into his bench, setting off a domino effect. Gordon was replaced as the backup five by DeAndre Jordan to begin the second quarter. During Jokic’s recovery period, Davis faltered with the Lakers bench rather than James, maybe as a direct retribution. However, Denver was able to almost make those minutes meaningless (minus two) as Jordan finished with four points. After a Reggie Jackson pass went wrong, James had a fast break and Malone called a timeout, and Jokic came back on the court. With 6:05 remaining in the half, Porter was hobbling after a clumsy landing, making the score 49-37.
He was doing OK. Porter was the recipient of Malone’s spot-up three after the break. Jackson used a corner triple to make amends. Gordon’s best came when Jokic broke up a pick-and-roll and passed it forward. The 12-point comeback was the easiest of the season. James’ game-winning three-pointer gave Los Angeles a 60-57 lead at the half, but the only thing keeping the Nuggets from winning was that their shooters weren’t punishing Jokic double teams. Still.

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