“You can prepare all you want, but once that jump ball goes up, you get a much better idea of where we’re at.”

That was the message from Michael Malone prior to the first game of this playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams are very familiar with each other, and after being asked about the Lakers one too many times, Malone shared that the Nuggets were very comfortable with exactly who the Lakers were.

“We only played them three times in the regular season and did not really see any difference.”

Ultimately, the game wasn’t that different this time around either. The Nuggets ended up defeating the Lakers 114-103 to take Game 1 with a similar game script to other Nuggets-Lakers games in the past. The Lakers came out firing, the Nuggets responded with some haymakers, and the team ultimately pulled away behind a strong effort from Nikola Jokic.

Jokic finished the game with 32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals, shooting 15-of-23 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range. Jokic attempted just two free throws all game, but it didn’t matter. His individual dominance was on display, and whether it was Anthony Davis, Rui Hachimura, or even LeBron James guarding him, Joker gave everyone buckets.

Jamal Murray didn’t shoot the most efficient percentage, but he was an efficient playmaker, scoring 22 points on 9-of-24 from the field and 4-of-9 from three. Murray added an impressive 10 assists compared to zero turnovers, leading Denver’s second unit to some positive production and maintaining composure despite traps and double teams from the Lakers.

Michael Porter Jr., fighting through a heavy heart off the basketball court, played an admirable game with 19 points and eight rebounds on 8-of-15 from the field and 3-of-7 from three. Porter’s younger brothers Jontay and Coban have been in the news a lot recently, but Porter compartmentalized those feelings and found a way to play through it on the court, making an impact in a game the Nuggets needed him.

Overall, it was much of the same, but it didn’t feel that way initially.

When the opening tip happened, the Nuggets were initially surprised by the Lakers execution, paint attack, and transition game. The Lakers were hitting shots consistently in rhythm, and the Nuggets did little to disrupt what they wanted to do. LeBron James was incredible out of the gate, and Malone lamented that he thought LeBron was about to go for 50 points.

“We just weren’t shrinking the floor enough, and we didn’t have enough personnel discipline with certain guys.”

The Lakers ultimately got their lead up to 12, leading 49-37 in the middle of the second quarter off a LeBron transition steal and layup.

“I think the game could have gone either way at that point,” Nikola Jokic shared of the mid second quarter Lakers run. “Well, it could have gone really bad because they were up 10, 15 at that point, but we fought back.”

The Nuggets needed a run, and they got just that heading into halftime, aided by defensive stops and running in transition.

From then on, the Nuggets looked like a team in control. They’ve been in these moments before, and they’ve hit third quarter haymakers before too. The Nuggets used a big run in the third quarter to separate from the Lakers and go up double digits. It was Nuggets basketball at its best.

“I just think we understand, we’re not trying to do anything different. We’re not trying to make stuff up,” Murray shared. “Everybody knows where they should be, and everyone knows that if they’re where they should be, they’ll get an open shot. That’s the beauty of this team. It’s just pure basketball.”

Murray hit some shots. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit some big shots in the third quarter run specifically. Jokic orchestrated everything, using his scoring to create opportunities as a playmaker for others while constantly looking to run in transition. It was beautiful, and the Nuggets won the third quarter 32-18.

Murray continued: “There’s no fighting like how it is in the park where you don’t know where the shots are going to come from. You don’t know where the passes are going to come from. We kinda know where we wanna go, and we just stick to that.”

Opening up the fourth quarter: DeAndre Jordan made a big impact for the Nuggets guarding Anthony Davis and patrolling the paint. The Nuggets held the Lakers to just three points in the first three minutes of the quarter, with Jordan getting a steal and a block during that stretch. The Nuggets also allowed just six offensive rebounds to the Lakers in the entire game, and the bench unit’s improvement around Jordan was a big reason for that.

“Last year, every time I called upon [DeAndre Jordan] – foul trouble, whatever’s going on in the game – he delivered,” Malone recalled. “He stays ready. I can’t say enough good things about DeAndre Jordan and the pro that he is, and I felt he had a real positive impact.”

The Lakers made a run in the middle of the fourth to keep the game close, but once Jokic and Aaron Gordon returned to the game, the Nuggets stabilized things. Denver continued to play strong defense and get out in transition, including two dunks from Jokic in the open floor following defensive plays. The Nuggets used that momentum to finish the game strong, which a dunk from Jokic over LeBron and a defensive stop on LeBron punctuating the victory.

So, the Nuggets won Game 1. That was the expectation, but now that it’s happened, and now that it happened in the manner that it did, the Nuggets should have even more confidence heading into Game 2, especially with Jamal Murray having a solid but unspectacular game with 22 points and 10 assists on 9-of-24 from the field.

LeBron James said postgame that he doesn’t think anything of Denver’s win streak over the Lakers, stating plainly that this was one game, and the Lakers will have to recover, adjust, and put out a better effort next time. That might be fine for LeBron James, but for the rest of the Lakers, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was a bit of a deja vu moment. The Nuggets are very familiar with the Lakers and what they’re trying to accomplish. They understand the rhythm of these games and know that if they get good enough shooting, they will be in a great position every single time.

The more wins the Nuggets pick up earlier in this series, the more desperate the Lakers are going to get, and the heavier this streak will weigh on everyone’s minds.

Nikola Jokic wasn’t about to say the Lakers were going to be the more desperate team heading into Game 2 though.

“To be honest, we are desperate too. We don’t want to lose at home.”

Jokic knows that despite the Nuggets winning several games against the Lakers in a row that all of the matchups are close, and it will take everything from the Nuggets to ensure these games continue to go their way.

“I think today was an interesting game. We could see that they had a run, then we had a run. I think every game is going to be interesting, so hopefully we can match [their desperation] and be even more physical than them.”

Will the Nuggets match the Lakers’ energy and execution in Game 2? We will find out soon enough.

Final Rotations