The Denver Nuggets have had the Los Angeles Lakers’ number over the past two seasons. The fans at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. reminded their visitors of that in Game 1.
The Nuggets on Saturday outmatched the Lakers, 114-103, in the opening game of their first-round series.
The home crowd got fired up in the final minute with the game’s result all but settled as a Nuggets win. The Nuggets fans started a three-word chant that probably didn’t sit well with the Lakers as they made their way to the locker room.
“Who’s your daddy? Who’s your daddy?” the Ball Arena crowd echoed with the Nuggets leading 112-101.
Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets with 32 points on 15-of-23 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Murray added 22 points and 10 assists of his own for the victors.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis played well in defeat, combining for 59 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists for the purple and gold. But their supporting cast did not contribute much. One Lakers player in particular was clowned online for his Game 1 dud
The Nuggets have thoroughly spanked the Lakers over their last nine matchups against one another. Denver took all three games of their season series this year. The Lakers were also swept 4-0 during last year’s Western Conference Finals.
The Nuggets have won by an average of 8.7 points per contest over their nine-game win streak against the Lakers.
The last time the Lakers beat the Nuggets was on Dec. 16, 2022. Russell Westbrook was still on the Lakers, then, posting a 15-11-12 triple-double in the 126-108 Lakers victory.
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