Nuggets continue mastery of Lakers to win Game 1
Nikola Jokic scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 114-103 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Jamal Murray added 22 points and 10 assists to guide Denver to its ninth consecutive victory over Los Angeles, five of which have come in the playoffs. Michael Porter Jr. had 19 points and Aaron Gordon had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets.
"Nikola, we see it all the time, he's a great player. And the bigger the stage and brighter the lights, he just continues to shine," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said following the win. "And the same could be said for Jamal Murray. I ran him 39 minutes tonight. It was more than I would have liked to have played him, but he's another gamer."
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night in Denver.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots, while LeBron James scored 27 points after a quiet fourth quarter. James did not take a shot in the fourth quarter until 1:20 remained and finished with only four points in the final 12 minutes.
"One game, they protected their home court. We have another opportunity on Monday to come back and be better," James said. "We know how challenging it's going to be. We know how difficult this opponent is and how great they are."
The Nuggets took control after a strong third quarter. Porter's 3-pointer just before the midpoint of the period gave Denver a 72-71 lead, its first since the first three minutes of the game, and the Nuggets continued to roll.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored all 12 of his points in the period, including three 3-pointers during a 13-0 run that helped Denver lead 89-78 entering the fourth quarter.
With Jokic on the bench, Murray hit a driving layup and a corner 3-pointer over Davis to extend the lead to 96-81 with 9:08 remaining. The Lakers responded with an 11-2 run midway through the fourth, cutting the deficit to 98-92, and D'Angelo Russell later missed a 3-pointer that would have made it a four-point game.
Denver made Los Angeles pay, with Porter connecting from deep and Jokic stealing and dunking to make it 108-96 with 3:41 remaining.
Russell and Austin Reaves each scored 13 points, while Taurean Prince added 11 for Los Angeles.
James set the tone for the Lakers by scoring 12 points in the first quarter, and Los Angeles led by as many as 12 in the second quarter. The Nuggets used a 14-2 run to tie the game at 51, but Los Angeles led 60-57 at halftime after James hit a triple with 2.1 seconds left in the first half.
The Lakers went to the line 19 times, converting 17 free throws. The Nuggets shot 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
SportsLigue