Nikola Jokic scores 32, Nuggets wear down Lakers again for Game 1 series-opening win

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Bennett Durando is the Denver Nuggets beat writer for The Denver Post. Before moving to Colorado, where he started as The Post's Avalanche beat writer, he covered SEC football, basketball and other sports for five years: first reporting on his alma mater, Missouri, for the St.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic heads up court after slam dunking over Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James in the fourth quarter during the first round of the NBA playoffs at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday, April 20, 2024. LeBron James and Anthony Davis scored easy buckets early, Los Angeles hit the defending champions with its best shot — even taking a double-digit lead — and then Denver slowly, steadily sledge-hammered its challenger into submission.

Ninety minutes after coach Darvin Ham said in his pregame news conference that the Lakers would try to deny Jokic his touches, they tried a bit of everything against the two-time MVP. Power forward Rui Hachimura was Jokic’s primary matchup most of the night. The Lakers tried to front him. They tried to double-team his post touches with a guard. Later on, LeBron James matched up on him. But only toward the very end did Anthony Davis guard him in the post.

But the most important change throughout the game was Denver’s 3-point shooting. A 6-for-23 first half included a ton of uncharacteristic misses on open looks. Then Caldwell-Pope lit it up. Denver was 6 for 11 beyond the arc in the third quarter to build a 14-point lead.

 

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