The Los Angeles Lakers fell in the first of the series 114-103 against the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic again as a figure. The Los Angeles team has not beaten Denver since 2022.
After being swept in the conference final in 2023 and losing all three games this season, the hegemony of the current champions is maintained.
The Angelenos have not beaten Denver in a match since December 2022 (nine losses in a row including this Saturday).
On this occasion, The story was similar to the last losses against Denver. A close score for much of the game, but in the fourth quarter Denver’s power comes out.
For the reigning NBA champions and second in the West this year, Nikola Jokic He gave the umpteenth performance with 32 points (15 of 23 shooting), 12 rebounds and 7 assists.
The entire starting quintet of Mike Malone’s men finished in double figures in scoring: Jamal Murray (22 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists), Michael Porter Jr. (19 points and 8 rebounds), Aaron Gordon (12 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (12 points).
LeBron and Anthony Davis without support in Lakers
For their part, the Lakers had Anthony Davis (32 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists) and LeBron James (27 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists).
To defeat Denver, the Lakers need the rest of their players and this could not appear in the first game of the series against the Nuggets.
Especially sad was the night of D’Angelo Russell with 13 points, a poor 6 of 20 shooting and 1 of 9 in triples.
The Lakers got within six points with half of the last quarter remaining, but the Serbian and NBA star appeared again.
Nobody got nervous in the Nuggets, absolutely seasoned for this type of hot momentsand with 9 points from a sensational Jokic in the decisive moments of the last quarter.
The second game will be this Monday at the Ball Arena at 7:00 pm Los Angeles time. The team will look to take one game before heading home.
Keep reading:
– Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets: Background, date and time of the NBA playoffs
– Jaime Jáquez Jr. stands out in the Miami Heat’s defeat against the Philadelphia Sixers in the Play-In tournament