In the meantime, 21 points behind the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers reduce to just 3 in the final minute – but it’s not enough to win in game one of the Conference Finals.
The Denver Nuggets won their home game against the Los Angeles Lakers with national team captain Dennis Schröder at the start of the Conference Finals. The number one seeded team led by Nikola Jokic was 21 points ahead at times, but still had to tremble at the end of the game in the 132:126 against the record champions from Los Angeles.
Jokic, voted most valuable player in the league in the past two seasons, scored 34 points. Anthony Davis was the top pitcher for the Lakers with 40 points.
Schröder played again from the start and finished the game with 6 points and 5 assists, Austin Reaves, who may play for the German national team in the future, scored 23 points for the Lakers. “We were really good in the first half, we controlled the game, controlled everything,” Jokic told ESPN. “We lost that in the second half. They’re a really good team.”
“A Victory is a Victory”
Despite Davis’ good game and the team’s solid shooting rate, the Lakers only had a 2-0 lead right from the start and otherwise ran behind a huge deficit at times throughout the game. Jokic dominated with 21 rebounds and repeatedly forced two opponents to cover in attack – which gave his teammates good throwing opportunities. The visitors worked their way back in the second half. Lakers superstar LeBron James had 26 points and missed the equalizer with a three-point attempt at 126:129 45 seconds before the end.
“We knew they would come, it’s a difficult team. How close it was doesn’t make a difference in the end. A win is a win,” said Jokic.
In the best-of-seven series, a team needs four wins to advance to the NBA Finals and have a shot at the title. Both teams last faced each other in a conference final in 2020. At that time, the Lakers prevailed in the Corona bubble in Orlando and then won the 17th title in their history. In the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics determine the other finals participant. Game one in this series is Thursday night.
Source: Stern
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