Jokic didn't make a field goal with Hachimura defending him, and he attempted only two. Suspect defender Rui Hachimura took his place. The best defensive player in the world shifted off of Jokic. What is Davis supposed to do about this?ĭarvin Ham saw quickly that Jokic couldn't be stopped by a single defender, so he made a change. But in a one-on-one setting, Jokic is essentially defense-proof. This had little to do with Davis, specifically. Jokic finished the first two quarters with 19 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. The offensive player won the first half comfortably. The best defensive player in the world started Game 1 defending the best offensive player in the world. Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 1: Darvin Ham's home run swingĬoming into this series, the matchup everyone was waiting to see was Jokic vs. They now lead the Lakers 1-0 in the series, and the Lakers will face serious pressure in Game 2 to avoid a two-game deficit. The closest they came was a missed LeBron James 3-pointer as they trailed by three points, and the Nuggets ultimately finished the job to pull out a 132-126 victory. However, they never quite got over the hump. Stellar second halves from Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves gave the Lakers a chance, and in the closing minutes, they even managed to turn it into a one-possession game.

1 seed in the Western Conference looked primed for an easy victory.Īnd then, as the Lakers have done so many times this season, they fought back. Nikola Jokic played a historic half, all of their 3's were going in, and the No. A dominant offensive performance gave them a 72-54 lead at the half over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Denver Nuggets looked like they were going to run away with Game 1 of the Western Conference finals after one half of basketball.

Nuggets score