"Darvin Ham would rather be up 1-0 than 1-0 down"- Denver Nuggets coach frustrated with narrative around series against LA Lakers

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone had some strong words for the media ahead of Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Following the Nuggets 132-126 win against Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1, the grapevine was abuzz with the notion of the Lakers winning the strategy game despite the loss.

Fans were of the opinion that LA found something by using two bigs to defend Nikola Jokic. The Lakers clawed their way back into the game after using Rui Hachimura to defend Jokic with Anthony Davis as a help defender.

“There’s this discussion… even though the Lakers lost… they think they’ve got something. I’ll bet you every red penny I have that Darvin Ham would rather be up 1-0 than down 0-1,” said Malone.

Malone went on to say that the defensive strategy was nothing they have not seen before this season. He assured the assembled media that the Nuggets have a prepared response for Game 2 against Darvin Ham's men.

Nikola Jokic had a historic Game 1

Jokic had a historic first half but slowed down a bit in the second after the adjustment. Jokic had his sixth triple-double of the playoffs with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists in the Game 1 win. He had 19 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists at the half.

It will be interesting to see what the Lakers do defensively in Game 2. They outscored the Nuggets by 12 points in the second half of Game 1. Hachimura may get the start in Game 2 to try and continue what LA established in the fourth quarter.

Also keep an eye out for how LeBron James and Anthony Davis respond in Game 2. Both players logged heavy minutes in Game 1. Davis had 40 points and 10 rebounds in 42 minutes. James meanwhile put in an exhausting effort down the stretch and ended with 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in 40 minutes. The elevation in Denver may make it difficult to recover.

Game 2 tips on Thursday at 8:30pm ET from Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets are up 1-0 in the series and are undefeated at home in the playoffs.