The Western Conference Finals opened on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Lakers looking to continue their magic carpet ride deep into the heart of the battle for the NBA championship.
To do so, they will have to overcome two-time league MVP Nikola Jokic and a deep and potent Denver Nuggets team in this series.
Early on, it looked like the Lakers were simply outmatched. They got beat badly on the boards with their small lineup, as Nikola Jokic got 10 rebounds in just the first eight minutes of the game, as well as in transition. The rebounding margin was an eye-popping 20-3 late in the first quarter, and the Nuggets extended it to 36-13 at halftime to give themselves a 72-54 halftime lead.
Los Angeles was able to trim its deficit to 11 before Jokic hit a 3-pointer to end the third quarter, and it kept pecking away afterward, coming to within three points with just over a minute left to play. But it was too little, too late, as Denver held on for a 132-126 win.
Jokic was the big thorn in the Lakers’ side with 34 points on 12-of-17 shooting, 21 rebounds and 14 assists, but it was a balanced attack for Denver that did them in. Jamal Murray killed them with 31 points on hot outside shooting, especially on hand-offs off screens, while former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tossed in 21 points.
The Lakers are hoping the momentum they found in the fourth quarter will carry over into what will be a very important Game 2 for them.