DENVER NUGGETS VS LOS ANGELES LAKERS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 1 | NBA LIVE

2022-2023 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS DENVER NUGGETS VS LOS ANGELES LAKERS GAME 1. The superstars will take center stage as LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers take on Nikola Jokić Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals. Game 1 is Tuesday in Denver. The Lakers have put together one of the most unlikely runs in recent history. Los Angeles started 2-10, made several roster moves midway through the season and qualified for the postseason by advancing through the play-in round. And L.A. just eliminated the defending champion Golden State Warriors in six games. The Lakers became the fourth NBA team to be that many games below .500 and reach the conference finals since conferences were formed after the 1970-71 season. The top-seeded Nuggets are back in the Western Conference finals for the first time since losing to the Lakers in 2020 in the bubble in five games. LeBron James playoff history is impressive, but Jokić is coming off a historic performance as he averaged a triple-double against the Phoenix Suns (34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists). Nikola Jokić performance against the Suns was the second-highest scoring average while averaging a triple-double in a playoff series behind Russell Westbrook's 37.4 points per game in the first round of the 2017 postseason. Nikola Jokić had three triple-doubles in the final four games against the Suns, joining Russell Westbrook, Jason Kidd, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to have three triple-doubles in a single playoff series. In four games against the Purple and Gold this season, Nikola Jokic averaged 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.3 steals. Running with Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets is guard Jamal Murray, who missed the 2021 postseason and the entire 2022 season with a torn ACL suffered in April 2021. Murray is averaging 25.9 points, 6.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals this postseason. Los Angeles has won all seven postseason series against Denver and is 25-8 against the Nuggets in the playoffs Another reason for pause regarding this Nuggets’ team is their inability to close out opponents in match ups away from their home arena. The Nuggets posted records of 34-7 at home and 19-22 on the road during the regular season, and since then, they’re just 2-3 in their five road playoff games. Good teams win at home. Great teams win on the road; and for the time being, Denver still qualifies as a good team, not a great one. All things considered, the Lakers are a tough match up for Denver. Very few teams have the proper defensive tools to give this Nuggets’’ team headaches, but L. A. happens to be one of them. Nikola Jokic will go head-to-head with Anthony Davis for most of this series, an incredibly versatile force at the defensive end, and the Lakers have several other options capable of helping and switching onto the Nuggets’ two-time MVP in a pinch as well. The Nuggets rarely win games with their play at the defensive end of the floor, so at times when their offense isn’t firing on all cylinders, they become very vulnerable. The Lakers’ defense in the front court should move the needle in a big way throughout this series. Take the points with L. A. in Game 1.. Here We go GAME 1 Please do like and subscribe Thank you Guys #nba #nbaplayoffs #nbalive