In the first game of their Western Conference first-round series, the Denver Nuggets emerged victorious with a 114-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Ball Arena. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points.

The Lakers initially had a 12-point lead in the first half but struggled in the third quarter, being outscored by 14 points. They entered the fourth quarter trailing by 15 points.

LeBron James finished the game with 27 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. Reflecting on the third quarter, he acknowledged that the Nuggets made shots while the Lakers struggled offensively. Anthony Davis contributed 32 points and 14 rebounds, but James only scored six points in the second half.

Davis emphasized the need to review the game film to analyze what worked and what didn’t on both ends of the court. He mentioned that the Lakers had too many turnovers and poor shooting at the start of the third quarter.

The Lakers struggled in rebounding, being outrebounded 53-45 and trailing 15-6 in offensive rebounds. The Nuggets capitalized on their advantage, scoring 18 second-chance points.

Los Angeles had a challenging night shooting three-pointers, making only 8 of 29 attempts (27.6%). D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ point guard, acknowledged the low shooting percentage and offensive rebounding as factors that contributed to the team’s loss.

The Nuggets’ dominance in the paint was evident, as they outscored the Lakers 64-54 in that area. Jamal Murray had 22 points and 10 assists for Denver.

Russell, who had a record-breaking season for three-pointers made, struggled in Game 1, finishing with 13 points and going 1-for-9 from beyond the arc. He attributed his poor shooting to the ball not falling and expressed his determination to bounce back in the next game.

Taurean Prince led the Lakers’ bench with 11 points, but the team was outscored 17-11 in bench points. Gabe Vincent, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jaxon Hayes were held scoreless for the Lakers.