The Los Angeles Lakers got off to an ideal start against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. LeBron James looked like the best player on the court. Aaron Gordon, one of Denver’s key defenders, struggled early on. D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Davis were both making shots. They increased by double digits in the second quarter.
And then, as with every game in the Western Conference Finals last year, it didn’t matter.
After some early struggles, the Nuggets defeated the Lakers en route to a 114-103 victory in Game 1. They looked every bit like the unit that won Denver’s first championship in franchise history last season, which is bad for a lot more teams than the Lakers.
It’s worse for the Lakers, who have now lost nine straight games to Denver between the regular season and the playoffs. They last beat the Nuggets on December 16, 2022.
Nikola Jokić was effectively dominant again, scoring 32 points on 15-of-23 shooting with 12 rebounds, seven assists and no turnovers. With him on the floor, the Nuggets did things like this:
The Nuggets committed four turnovers in total.
It must be said that the Lakers at least seemed to have a plan. They played the Nuggets’ backcourt more aggressively than most teams dare, especially trying hard to make Jamal Murray uncomfortable. They also made sure Denver didn’t catch them off guard in transition. All of this translated into missed shots for the Nuggets, for a while.
The tide turned late in the second quarter, when the Lakers held their largest lead of the game with 12 points. The Nuggets responded with a 14-2 run to tie the game, then really went to work in the third quarter.
At this point, the Lakers looked exhausted and were starting to make poor decisions. Several possessions ended the way Denver would have liked, like a Davis 3-point attempt, and it took a while for the Lakers to get back on their feet. They managed to cut their lead to single digits midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any closer.
Like last series, Russell ended up looking unplayable against a team fully equipped to exploit him on offense and deny him open shots on defense. He finished the night with 13 points on 6 of 20 shooting (1 of 9 from deep). It’s not hard to imagine the Lakers adjusting to Game 2 with fewer minutes for him and more for the more defensive-minded Gabe Vincent.
It cannot be denied that the Lakers gave everything in this match. James played nearly 41 minutes and Davis dominated 44. Their reward was a rested Nuggets team that showed little rust after a six-game hiatus, and it won’t get any easier from there.