The Nuggets remained perfect at Ball Arena this postseason with a 132-126 win over the Lakers in Game 1 Tuesday.
Here are three takeaways from Ball Arena:
1. Nikola Jokic set the tone early, especially on the glass. Jokic finished the first quarter with 12 rebounds and began the second quarter with as many offensive rebounds, six, as the Lakers had as a team. Jokic grabbed four more boards in the second quarter and led the Nuggets to an 18-point halftime lead with 19 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. Jokic completed the 12th triple-double of his playoff career with consecutive assists to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the middle of the third quarter. He finished with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, good for his fourth triple-double in Denver’s last five games.
2. As is the case whenever the Lakers are in town, there were specks of yellow and gold throughout the Ball Arena crowd, but the Nuggets did a good job of giving them few reasons to cheer. The Denver faithful didn’t let their team down. The crowd showered LeBron James with boos while he was at the line in the final minutes of a close game.
3. If there’s one adjustment for the Nuggets to make ahead of Game 2, it’s figuring out what to do with LeBron James when Aaron Gordon isn’t on the court. Gordon at least made life tough on the Lakers star to start the game. When Gordon headed to the bench, James seemed to attack Jeff Green and get switched onto Jamal Murray, who lacked the size to prevent James from getting to the paint. James had a relatively quiet 26 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
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Game Recap
WHAT HAPPENED: The Nuggets improved to 3-0 in Game 1s with a 132-126 win over the Lakers to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference final. Despite 40 points from L.A.’s Anthony Davis, Denver was able to limit LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers. The Nuggets used hot shooting from 3-point range to take an 18-point halftime lead and they never looked back, surviving a late Lakers comeback.
STAR OF THE NIGHT: Despite Davis’ numbers and James being in the building, the night belonged to Nikola Jokic, who continues to leave his mark on this postseason. The two-time MVP was the best player on the floor from start to finish, tallying 34 points on 12-for-17 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range to go along with 21 rebounds and 14 assists, good for his sixth triple-double in these playoffs.
OFF THE BENCH: Denver stuck with its typical eight-man rotation in Game 1, with Bruce Brown, Christian Braun and Jeff Green all getting time off the bench. But it was really only Brown who made a positive impact, and he did so in a big way. In 24 minutes, Brown finished with 16 points, including one thunderous dunk.
UP NEXT: There’s no extra rest in this series as games will be played every other day, meaning the Nuggets will have the chance to take a 2-0 series lead on Thursday night at Ball Arena. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.
—Tyler King, The Denver Gazette
