Nikola Jokić put on a first-half clinic.
Then he and the Nuggets held off a furious late Lakers rally as Denver escaped with a 132-126 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in Denver on Tuesday.
The Nuggets looked well in control of a dominant victory while holding a 21-point third-quarter lead. But the Lakers answered with a fourth-quarter rally that included a 9-0 run to cut Denver’s lead to 124-121. They stayed within 3 points into the final minute of the game. But a pair of Jokić free throws with 26.3 seconds left extended the lead back to 5 to keep the Lakers at bay.
Jokić recorded an emphatic triple-double, tallying 34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists and 2 blocks.
The Lakers and Nuggets have met in the Postseason before 👀
AD did THIS in Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals.
Game 1 | LAL at DEN | 8:30pm/et | ESPN pic.twitter.com/hokuuSxVfM
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2023
Game 2 of the 2020 Western Conference Finals was 🍿
Look back on that Fantastic Finish between the Lakers and Nuggets 📹
Game 1 | LAL at DEN | 8:30pm/et | ESPN pic.twitter.com/QYNBH17G6q
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2023