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Anthony Davis scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets 126-114 on Friday in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals.
LeBron James added 15 points with 12 assists and six rebounds for the Lakers, who shot out the door after losing their opener in each of their two previous playoff series in the NBA’s coronavirus quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida.
After a close first quarter ended the Nuggets up by two, the Lakers took control in the second quarter, beating Denver 34-21 to take a 70-59 lead at halftime.
Lakers reserve Alex Caruso converted a three-point play to trigger a 17-1 streak, and the Nuggets were without a basket for more than five minutes to start the second quarter.
“It took us a quarter to figure it out,” James said. “I’m not saying that we discovered them because it is too early in the series to say that.”
Aware that the Nuggets had shown their stamina with big second-half comebacks against the Los Angeles Clippers in the previous round, the Lakers kept up the pressure after the break.
Denver cut the deficit to nine points midway through the third quarter.
But their efforts were hampered with star Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap all in early foul trouble, and that was the closest they could get in the second half.
Jokic and Murray scored 21 points to set the pace for the Nuggets. Michael Porter added 14 from the bench.
But Denver coach Mike Malone said the Nuggets didn’t do enough on defense.
“Even in that first quarter we didn’t mark anyone,” said Malone, whose team shot better than 63 percent from the field in an opening period marked by Murray’s 3-pointer when time expired. “Our offense was able to score the ball, but there was little defense.”
But Malone said the Nuggets would have to figure out how to save without fouling, noting that in the huge second quarter the Lakers shot just 42.9 percent from the ground, but went to the free throw line 24 times.
“Twenty-four times in a room, and we were called for 16 personal fouls in that room,” Malone said. “In addition to those seven turnovers, again fueling his break.”
Davis had 33 points at the end of the third quarter, his hook shot with 36.4 seconds to play in the third pushed the Lakers’ lead to 23 points.
The Lakers, who returned to the conference finals for the first time since 2010, when they won their most recent NBA title, were aware they had a lot of work to do against a Nuggets team that erased 1-3 deficits in each. from their previous matches. two series.
“We haven’t done anything special,” Davis said. “We basically take care of the local field. We have three more left. “
The best-of-seven series continues with Game 2 on Sunday.
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