The Nuggets weathered a furious second-half comeback from the Lakers to win Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals 132-126 behind a typically great performance from Nikola Jokic.
Denver even led by 21 points Monday night, but LA extended the hosts’ lead late in the third quarter, reducing it to just three after a three-pointer from Austin Reaves with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter.
From there, the hosts persevered and have the advantage in the series after conceding 72 points in the second half.
“We’re going to get the win,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone after the game.
“We protected our home field and it’s hard to win at this time of year.” But our defense still needs to improve a lot.’
Nikola Jokic was brilliant for the Nuggets, totaling 34 points and 21 rebounds on Monday
LeBron James flirted with a triple double and had 26 points, 12 points and nine assists
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was present when the Nuggets won Game 1
The Nuggets looked like they belonged against the 2020 NBA Champions and received contributions from all quarters, leaving LeBron James and company down 1-0 in the series.
Jamal Murray (31 points), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (21) and Michael Porter Jr. (15) all helped ease the points burden for Jokic, while Bruce Brown acted as the team’s spark plug with 16 points from the bench.
Meanwhile, the Lakers trailed by 12 points after the first quarter and, despite 72 points in the second half, could not get enough spots because they had to make up most of the time.
While the Lakers have utilized a physical style up to this point in the postseason, they were overwhelmed by the Nuggets on Monday night.
The hosts overtook them 47-30 and put Rui Hachimura on Nikola Jokic (with Anthony Davis supporting the defence) while the Serb dominated inside.
Austin Reaves had 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers lagged
Bruce Brown put on a tremendous performance for the Nuggets off the bench, scoring 16 points in the win
Davis led the visitors with an impressive 40-point performance, while James toyed with a triple-double and recorded 26 points, 12 points and nine assists.
Reaves also added 23 points while Rui Hachimura took 17 off the bench.
With the win, the Nuggets went 7-0 at home this postseason and just three wins were closer to the NBA Finals.
Game 2 takes place Thursday at 8:30am ET in Denver.
