The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business against the Denver Nuggets en route to a 126-114 Game 1 win in the Western Conference Finals on Friday at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Florida.
The Lakers trailed 38-36 after one quarter but outscored Denver 67-41 over the second and third quarters to take a 103-79 edge into the fourth.
Anthony Davis posted 37 points and 10 rebounds, and LeBron James added 15 points and 12 assists. L.A. shot 53 percent from the field. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray each scored 21 to lead Denver.
L.A. now leads the best-of-seven series 1-0 in its quest to win the franchise’s 17th NBA title, which would tie the Boston Celtics for the most in league history.
Notable Performances
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Nuggets PG Jamal Murray: 21 points, 5 assists, 1 rebound
Nuggets F Michael Porter Jr.: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
Lakers F/C Anthony Davis: 37 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
Lakers G/F LeBron James: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists
Lakers G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: 18 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Dwight Howard Turns Back Clock, Powers Lakers to Win
Thirteen points on 4-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, two steals, two blocks and a plus-14 as a reserve is a good night’s work, and Howard’s effort Friday produced that effective and efficient performance.
Howard barely saw the court in the Western Conference Semifinals against the small-ball Houston Rockets. The Lakers had little need for traditional centers against a team that uses the 6’5″ PJ Tucker in the paint, so L.A. used other options en route to its five-game win.
The Lakers would have to switch their strategy against Denver, though, with the Nuggets employing a pair of seven-foot centers in All-Star and jack-of-all-trades Nikola Jokic and solid backup Mason Plumlee.
That meant Howard’s re-entry into the rotation, and he answered the call in a big way on a night where he played more minutes than he did for the entire Houston series.
Howard entered the game with 10 minutes left in the second quarter and the Lakers up 45-38. He proceeded to become an absolute defensive menace with two steals and two blocks over a 3:07 period.
Los Angeles Lakers @Lakers
Dwight is bringing it on the defensive side 😤🤚
(📺: TNT) https://t.co/F43XMnt5F2
He also scored five points in the process and got to the line six times overall. Howard was also a foul-drawing machine, to the point where he completely took Denver out of its offensive rhythm.
Perhaps being fresh after barely playing against Houston had its benefits. Lakers reporter Mike Trudell noticed his energy right away:
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Howard played only 16 minutes against Houston, but has been locked in here, looking bouncy. He already has 2 blocks and 2 steals in 4 minutes.
The Laker Film Room gave credit where it was due as well:
Laker Film Room @LakerFilmRoom
Dwight is doing WORK right now
Howard got the call to start the second half and dominated there as well, specifically on the offensive end:
Los Angeles Lakers @Lakers
Dwight with some extra emphasis!
(📺: TNT) https://t.co/lwIZJT7zpb
It was a special game for Howard, who proved to be Denver’s kryptonite on an evening where almost nothing went well for the Nuggets after D12 entered the game.
Disastrous Second Quarter Dooms Denver
The first quarter looked nothing like the rest of the game.
Denver jumped out to a 38-36 lead after one when Jamal Murray nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Nuggets scored 21 points in the final 4:09.
Denver Nuggets @nuggets
BUZZER BEATING BLUE ARROW https://t.co/iVS9Pal9x5
A back-and-forth shootout appeared to be brewing, but Denver’s offense went quiet, to the point where it couldn’t surpass that aforementioned 21-point total in either the second or third quarters.
The Lakers’ physicality proved to be a real problem, as did center Nikola Jokic landing in foul trouble.
Kendra Andrews of The Athletic explained the situation well as things were getting out of control.
Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews
And that’s the sixth turnover for the Nuggets this quarter. Jokic has three fouls. They are 0 for 5 from the floor in the second. The wheels are falling off this quickly. Denver down 52-39.
Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports also gave his perspective:
Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
This Lakers run has been mostly self-inflicted from Denver’s perspective. Nuggets came into tonight well aware that turnovers + fast break points are a recipe for disaster against LeBron.
L.A. also forced Denver into tough decisions on defense, and fouls occurred early and often. By the time the first half ended, the Lakers had shot 32 free throws to Denver’s 16, per Mike Singer of the Denver Post.
One can certainly argue whether all those fouls against Denver were justified considering the vast discrepancy. Murray and head coach Michael Malone weren’t happy postgame.
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Jamal Murray was asked what turned the tide in the second quarter early when the Lakers made their run: “If you watched the game, you could tell.”
Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Michael Malone postgame: “They only shot 42% in (the second) quarter. But they went to the foul line 24 times. 24 times in a quarter, which is an extremely high number…”
“I’m looking forward to watching the film to see where all these fouls were called.”
But the bottom line is that poor defense, a struggling offense outside Murray and Jokic (16-of-26 from the field) and the rest of the team (25-of-57) and general sloppiness on both ends did them in.
It also didn’t help that L.A. finished with 15 combined steals and blocks versus Denver’s five.
The sky isn’t falling for Denver, though. The Nuggets have come back from 3-1 series deficits two times in a row, and they looked excellent offensively for one quarter at least. Plus, it’s only Game 1, so L.A. needs three more victories to knock Denver out.
Still, it’s a tough start to the series for Denver, who will look to regroup in advance of Game 2.