Nikola Jokic leads NBA champ Denver Nuggets past LeBron James and Lakers 114-103 in playoff opener

By Arnie Stapleton/AP

In contrast to their crowd that drowned out the Los Angeles Lakers’ pregame introductions, the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets have been slightly late to the playoff occasion Saturday evening.

They turned up their offense and protection after a sputtering begin, nonetheless, powering previous the Lakers 114-103 behind Nikola Jokic’s 32 factors and 12 rebounds within the Western Convention playoff opener, their ninth consecutive conquer the Lakers.

After watching LeBron James rating 19 first-half factors, capped by a pull-up 3 from 32 ft within the remaining second that put the Lakers up 60-57, the Nuggets restricted the NBA’s profession scoring chief to 9 factors within the second half and didn’t permit him to even take a shot within the fourth quarter till simply 1:20 remained.

“We’re not going anyplace,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone mentioned. “That is the playoffs. No group within the playoffs, if you happen to get down 12 early, you’re not going to only take your ball and go house. We nonetheless have loads of combat left in us and we all know that we have been higher than what we have been enjoying early.

“That’s an excellent group over there. They got here into the playoffs enjoying extraordinarily nicely, they usually confirmed it. LeBron was on the right track, I believed he’s about to have 50 factors tonight, the way in which he was enjoying and taking pictures the ball.”

James completed with 27 factors and Anthony Davis had 32.

That wasn’t almost sufficient to match the reigning champs’ prowess.

Two different Nuggets matched Jokic’s double-double — Jamal Murray (22 factors, 10 assists) and Aaron Gordon (12 factors, 11 rebounds) — and Michael Porter Jr. got here shut with 19 factors and eight boards.

Denver handed James simply his fourth loss in 17 first-round openers, however Malone mentioned, “We have to look at the movie to see what we are able to do higher. That is going to be a hell of a sequence.”

The Lakers haven’t crushed the Nuggets since Dec. 16, 2022. They’ll strive once more Monday evening in Sport 2 at Ball Area, the place Denver is now 34-8 this season.

“To be trustworthy, we’re determined, too. We do not wish to lose at house,” Jokic mentioned. “I feel each sport goes to be fascinating. So, hopefully we’re going to match and be much more bodily than them.”

Lakers coach Darvin Ham concurred with Malone’s sentiment a couple of aggressive sequence, saying, “All people’s going to lose their thoughts over one sport, and provides them their credit score, they held serve at house. They seem to be a powerful house group, powerful to beat usually, however they’re actually good at house. … (However) we did quite a lot of good issues on the market tonight.”

Denver simply did extra issues higher.

The Nuggets had 15 offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance factors, 10 greater than the Lakers, who grabbed simply six offensive boards. And the Nuggets dedicated simply 4 turnovers — only one by their starters — whereas the Lakers turned the ball over a dozen instances, together with a whopping seven by James.

“I believed we performed some good ball tonight, simply may have been higher,” James mentioned. “You do not have a lot room for error versus Denver’s group, particularly at their house flooring. They’re only a group that is been by every thing. Clearly, they’re the defending champions, so that you gotta execute, you gotta make photographs, you gotta defend. After which you may’t give them further possessions.”

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored all 12 of his factors after halftime, made a trio of 3-pointers in a 13-0 run the Nuggets used to grab management within the third quarter at 89-74.

Porter excelled on the court docket, as coach Malone predicted he would, after a attempting week for his household that noticed one youthful brother, Coban Porter, sentenced to 6 years in jail for a deadly drunken driving crash on Friday and one other, former Toronto Raptors guard Jontay Porter, banned from the NBA for betting on basketball and disclosing confidential data to different bettors.

“I feel I undoubtedly tried to compartmentalize,” Porter mentioned. “Some dangerous and unhappy stuff occurred to a few my brothers, however I acquired 15, 16 extra brothers in right here. So I knew I needed to be right here for them and are available right here and do my job.”

The Nuggets entered these playoffs with bull’s-eyes on their backs however supremely assured of their probabilities to repeat after tying a franchise report with 57 common season wins, 4 greater than final yr.

One signal of their looseness: Jokic, who’s starring in a teaser for “Despicable Me 4” the place he seeks remedy as a result of the Minions suppose he is their boss, arrived at Ball Area decked out in a black-and-gray striped scarf and grey pants, wanting like Felonius Gru — the lead character from the film franchise.

James ought to have proven up dressed like Vector as a result of he performed the proper villain, at the very least till halftime.

Denver swept the Lakers in final season’s Western Convention finals, the next-to-last step the Nuggets needed to clear earlier than claiming their first NBA title.

“I do not ever get into the ‘right here we go once more’ mindset,” James mentioned. “One sport, they protected their house court docket. We’ve one other alternative on Monday to return again and be higher.”