Lakers start strong but still can’t solve Nuggets in series opener

DENVER — The start was so promising, providing optimism that the Lakers could finally get over what feels like a Rocky Mountain-sized challenge in the Denver Nuggets.

But by the time Game 1 of this first-round playoff series reached the fourth quarter on Saturday night, the result felt inevitable and the same as the previous eight matchups between the two teams: a 114-103 Denver victory, giving the Nuggets the early advantage in the best-of-seven series.

The Lakers mostly hit the right buttons in the first quarter and benefited from the Nuggets’ early cold shooting.

LeBron James (27 points, eight assists, six rebounds) scored nearly half of his points (12) in the opening quarter. D’Angelo Russell (six first-quarter points) had a strong start.

The Lakers pushed the pace frequently, attacked the paint as much as they could and limited their turnovers.

But as soon as the Lakers started to slip, the Nuggets made them pay.

First was the Lakers’ defensive rebounding, with the Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić (32 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists), grabbing 15 offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance points.

The transition defense and paint defense also slid, with the Lakers not being crisp with getting back on defense once their shooting started to cool off.

And once the Nuggets’ perimeter shots started to fall, making six 3-pointers in the third quarter after making six in the first half, the Lakers struggled to keep up, watching leads of 33-25 at the end of the first and 60-57 at halftime turn into an 89-78 deficit by the end of the third.

Anthony Davis (32 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots) tried to will the Lakers back into the game, scoring 10 points in the fourth and helping cut the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 (91-86) to six (98-92) after his fadeaway jumper with 6:15 remaining.

But the Nuggets, as they typically have against the Lakers, made the right plays down the stretch.

Jokic ended the competitive part of the game with an emphatic dunk with 1:11 remaining, giving the Nuggets a 112-101 lead.

Two other Nuggets had double-doubles – Jamal Murray had 22 points (9-for-24 shooting) and 10 assists, and and Aaron Gordon had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 19 points and eight boards as Denver handed James just his fourth loss in 17 first-round playoff openers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who scored all 12 of his points after halftime, made a trio of 3-pointers during a 13-0 run the Nuggets used to seize control in the third quarter.

Russell struggled with his shooting after the first, finishing with 13 points on 6-for-20 shooting (1 for 9 from 3-point range).

The Lakers haven’t beaten the Nuggets since Dec. 16, 2022. They’ll try again Monday night in Game 2 at Ball Arena, where Denver is now 34-8 this season.

More to come on this story.