Jokic dominates as the Denver Nuggets draw first blood.
The Western Conference finals got underway last night with some brilliantly displayed individual performances and shot-making that could have swung this match in anyone’s favor by the end of it. But in the end, there could only be one winner and that proved to be Mike Malone’s league-leading offense, Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic had another phenomenal night, nothing new by his standard, recording another triple-double (34-21-14), his 6th of this year’s postseason, the most of this playoff, and tied the record for the most triple-doubles in a single postseason run.
He also became the only player to record multiple 30-point, 20-rebound triple-doubles in the NBA’s history. But the night did not belong to the star center alone. Jamal Murray, KCP, and MPJ sunk some huge 3-pointers that boosted the Nuggets’ effort and ensured their victory as the Lakers made a late run at winning the game (the Lakers only lead in the game came at 2-0).
The Lakers’ comeback efforts (down for almost the entirety of this game), were spearheaded in large parts by Austin Reaves who netted 7 points in the 3rd Quarter and 11 in the 4th quarter, scoring ¾ of his shots from behind the arc, including one that brought the game within 3 points, when the score was 121-124.
Reaves would finish with 23 points. Anthony Davis also had a huge night, finishing with 40 points, on 61% shooting, even though the Lakers would appreciate him grabbing more than the 10 rebounds he had recorded. Lebron finished with 26-12-9 for the Lakers in the end, but it proved to not be enough.
Game 2 is scheduled for Thursday at the Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado.
