With their latest victory, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have extended their winning streak over the Los Angeles Lakers to nine games, including last year’s Western Conference meeting.

The Lakers last defeated the Nuggets, 126-108, in December 2022 at Crypto.com Arena.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets use a third-quarter run to upset LA.

The Denver Nuggets’ victory margin over the Lakers appears much lower than it should be, given how dominant they were in the second half, particularly in the third quarter.

LA looked like they had the formula to upset Denver in the first quarter, outscoring them by eight points and finishing 33-25. The Nuggets earned some payback in the second quarter, but only managed to cut the advantage to three points (60-57).

In the third quarter, the Nuggets started to pull away, dropping 32 points while restricting the Lakers to 18.

This tremendous run gave Nikola Jokic and the team the momentum they needed to defeat LA in Game 1. Both sides exchanged blows in the fourth quarter, scoring 25 points each.

Jokic led the Nuggets in scoring and rebounding with 32 and 12, respectively, while also dishing seven assists. In terms of individual performance, Anthony Davis was practically on par with Jokic, scoring the same number of points, grabbing two more rebounds but handing out two less assists.

The second game between the Lakers and the Nuggets will be played on the Nuggets’ home court on April 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET.