The Los Angeles Lakers had a strong start to Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory. Despite LeBron James’ fast start and Anthony Davis’ double-double, the Lakers fell short by double digits.
The Nuggets will now look to preserve their home-court edge in Game 2 on Monday night, as the Lakers desperately attempt to avoid going down 0-2 in the series.
Denver is a consensus 7.5-point favorite ahead of Game 2, but the Lakers are expected to put up a strong fight. Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham said after the loss that he has adjustments he will try in Game 2.
The Lakers could also use more from their bench, which was outscored 17-11 in Game 1. Getting Christian Wood back from a knee injury would help, but he isn’t expected to return until the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 Thursday night.
The Nuggets don’t need to fix much other than getting off to a faster start and hitting more shots. Among the starters, only Michael Porter Jr. (8 of 15) and Jokic hit more than 50 percent of their shots, with Jamal Murray going 9-for-24 from the field.
Denver did well in containing the Lakers’ role players in Game 1. James and Davis combined for 59 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists, but the rest of the team had little impact. D’Angelo Russell again struggled against the Nuggets’ defense, shooting 1-for-9 from 3-point range and 6-for-20 overall in scoring 13 points.
The Nuggets can expect a bounce-back game from the Lakers, and a more aggressive James. After scoring 19 points in the first half on Saturday, he had just eight in the second half and didn’t attempt a shot in the fourth quarter until the final 1:20.
