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The Denver Nuggets, behind Nikola Jokic’s historic performance, raced to a big first-half lead before holding on to beat the LA Lakers in Game 1. Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, often obliterating everything the Lakers threw at him, particularly in the first 24 minutes of the game.
The Nuggets, though, barely held on to survive the Lakers’ second-half onslaught. LA coach Darvin Ham adjusted by putting Rui Hachimura on Jokic so Anthony Davis could patrol the paint more and provide help defense against Jokic.
Ham’s strategy worked as the Lakers rallied from a 21-point deficit to cut the lead to just three points twice. LeBron James’ turnover with a little over a minute and LA trailing 126-131 cut the visiting team’s momentum and handed the Nuggets the victory.
Nikola Jokic had plenty of support as all four starters and Bruce Brown coming off the bench had double-digit points for the Denver Nuggets. Jamal Murray had 31 points to ably back up Jokic in scoring.
The LA Lakers, meanwhile, finally had good games coming simultaneously from LeBron James and Anthony Davis. AD started slow but eventually finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks.
LA can’t have one of Davis and James have an off night and hope to beat the Nuggets on the road.
Where to watch
Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets will start at 8:30 PM at Ball Arena in Denver. ESPN will air the game on national TV.
Basketball fans can also catch the action by streaming the game via the NBA League Pass.
Game preview
The battle between the LA Lakers and the Denver Nuggets was expected to be a seesaw encounter. Pitting the best defensive team (Lakers) and best offensive team (Nuggets) in the playoffs was bound to be a thrilling affair.
Denver zoomed out of the gates due to their nearly flawless offensive display while LA caught up as their defense started to hold its ground. Nikola Jokic’s mind-boggling first half was the biggest reason for the Nuggets’ perfect start.
The Lakers started to bounce back behind their vaunted defense and as soon as Anthony Davis and LeBron James got going.
The Denver Nuggets know that at some point they could struggle to make shots. They will have to put on the effort on the defensive end to prevent the LA Lakers from running them out of their own house.
Meanwhile, the LA Lakers know their defense can’t relax or come out lethargic as it did in the first half of Game 1. They are also well aware that they need to have both Davis and James on point to put up a fight against Denver.
The team that imposes its will over the other will likely emerge as the winner of Game 2.
Game prediction
Spread: Nuggets (-5.5)
Total (O/U): 227
Moneyline: Lakers (+175) vs. Nuggets (-205)
The Denver Nuggets are still unbeaten at home in the playoffs. They hold a perfect 8-0 mark when playing at Ball Arena.
The LA Lakers know they can hang and even beat the home team when they play hard, aggressive and execute down the stretch.
Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis will continue to have an epic battle but Denver’s home-court edge will give the Nuggets the boost they need.
The Nuggets will go to Los Angeles holding a 2-0 lead in another edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Denver Nuggets 120, LA Lakers 117
