We’ve seen this story before.
In Game 1 on Saturday evening, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 114-103. It was an all too familiar scene for the Lakers, who must be feeling waves of déjà vu looking back to last year. Much like last season’s 4-0 sweep at the hands of Denver in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers got off to good starts before completely collapsing in the second half. The same story reared its ugly head here in Game 1. At one point, the Lakers were up double-digits in the first half. LA went into halftime with a precious three-point lead.
From there, the proverbial wheels came off. As has been the case in nine-straight wins head-to-head, the Nuggets made the requisite adjustments — whereas the Lakers were stuck in the mud looking clueless. Denver blitzed LA in the third quarter, outscoring Darvin Ham’s team by 14. Nikola Jokic unsurprisingly controlled the game. He finished with 32 points on 15-of-23 from the field. Jokic’s efforts included 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
The Lakers couldn’t keep him off the boards, and his work in the pick-and-roll — regardless of who his partner was in the two-man game — destroyed LA’s defensive scheme.
Anthony Davis scored 32 points of his own in the defeat. He added 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for good measure. LeBron James chipped in with 27 points on 10-of-16 from the floor. While the two pillars played well, the rest of the team struggled. D’Angelo Russell’s postseason inconsistency was visible once again. He went 6-of-20 from the floor (1-of-9 from three) for an inefficient 13 points. The bench as a whole combined for only 11 points (all scored by Taurean Prince). This was a game the Lakers could’ve won, and it’s somewhat demoralizing that the team essentially wasted two very good efforts by their best players in the process.
Ham’s unwillingness to use his bench was a major problem. With his collective experience in postseason play, Gabe Vincent should be playing more than eight minutes. This is a wrinkle Ham could look to utilize, where the Lakers downsize and use more of both Vincent and Spencer Dinwiddie. Neutralizing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s effectiveness from three-point range also should be a point of emphasis.
While Jamal Murray struggled to shoot the ball in this game (9-of-24), it was the likes of Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., and Peyton Watson who hurt the Lakers from beyond the arc. If the Lakers can split with the Nuggets in Denver, it’ll reverse the home-court advantage and give Los Angeles some hope it can win this series. Game 2 in Denver will be played Monday at 10:00 p.m. ET.
