In the nailbiting finish, the top-seeded Denver Nuggets beats Los Angeles Lakers by 132-126 at Ball Arena in Denver on Tuesday night to take a 1-0 Western Conference series lead over the Lakers. Nuggets was led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who created even more history and scored yet another triple-double to take Nuggets to Game 1 win.
Nikola Jokic finishes with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists and two blocks, While Jamal Murray dropped 31 points and teammate Bruce Brown scored 16 points which was a huge factor throughout the match which led Nuggets to win over lakers.
On the other hands, For the Lakers, Anthony Davis led the way and exploded 40 points and 10 rebounds while LeBron James had scored 26 points, 9 assists and teammate Austin Reaves finished with 23 points, 8 assists.
The Nuggets were leading with 18 points at halftime, while in the 1st quarter they have taken a lead of 12points. At one point Nuggets were leading with 21-points in the third quarter but later on Lakers made a comeback and by the end of 3rd quarter they reduce the lead of Nuggets to 14 points, before trimming the lead to three with just minutes remaining.
It was Jokic’s third consecutive triple-double in postseason and the first time an NBA player has ever amassed a 30-point triple double on 70% shooting in back-to-back playoff games, serving as yet another testament to his dominance.— in order to give his squad an early lead in the best-of-seven series.
“He makes it really simple and makes it look miraculous at the same time. It’s ridiculous,” Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon told reporters, speaking about Jokic .
While Denver Nuggets entered the game with a track record of 6-0 win at home during the postseason, On the Other hand, Los Angeles Lakers had won Game 1 of each of their last two series. Jokic was uncontrollable throughout the game as he was scoring like anything, before Rui Hachimura switched off his scoring in the last quarter with great defensive effect.
“I think it’s going to be big for me this series because they are very big, and we need the size, I think it’s going to be a good one.” said Hachimura, who added 17 points beyond his defensive impact.
The Lakers’ comeback effort will give them confidence for their next attempt, but it was ultimately insufficient on Tuesday night. Los Angeles Lakers will strive to correct its faults in Game 2 on Thursday, according to superstar James, who promised that team will perform well on thursday game.
“It took us a half to get into the game. That’s pretty much the ball game right there, We got to understand that we got to start from the tip-off. They punched us in the mouth at the start.”, James told reporters.
“We have to come back with desperation, going into Game 2. We have to play better.”.
Davis, who put on a stellar performance of his own, was frequently pitted against Jokic for much of the game and saw first hand just how unstoppable he can be.
“I mean, he’s a two-time MVP, very skilled, obviously as his numbers show. Made many tough shots,” Davies told reporters.
“We just have to make it tough for him, switching up match-ups and schemes on him.”
“But he’s been playing well through the entire season and especially in these playoffs. You tip your hat to him.”
BIG MAN BATTLE 😤
— NBA (@NBA) May 17, 2023
Jokic: 34 PTS, 21 REB, 14 AST, 2 BLK
AD: 40 PTS, 10 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK
WCF Game 2: Thursday, 8:30pm/et on ESPN pic.twitter.com/6cl7kIBlzJ
Nuggets vs Lakers Final Score
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final Score |
| Denver Nuggets | 37 | 35 | 34 | 26 | 132 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 25 | 29 | 38 | 34 | 126 |
Denver Nuggets beats Los Angeles by 132-126