- The Lakers won in Game 1 of the series against the Nuggets, 124-116.
- Frank Vogel’s guys reached a momentum in the second period when they had 24 free throws.
- The Nuggets were frustrated with the foul criteria.
Lakers Drew the First Blood
Unlike the previous two series, the LA Lakers triumphed in the opening game. They took down the No.3 seed in the West, Denver Nuggets, 124-116, in a game which will be subject of many talks in the days to come.
The Lakers had 24 free throws in the second quarter, with all the Nuggets’ key players, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Paul Millsap all having three fouls early in the period. The officiating criteria were much different than in the first period, and according to some, it favored the purple and gold, which totaled 32 free throw attempts in the first half.
“They went to the foul line 24 times in one quarter. 24 times in a quarter, which is an extremely high number. On pace for almost 100. And we were called for 16 personal fouls in that quarter,” Denver’s head coach Michael Malone spoke after the game, saying that he will watch the tape and see where those fouls occurred.
Lakers used the situation on the floor, opening the second period with a 17-1 rush, which gave them a nice lead, and at the halftime, LBJ and the boys had an 11-point lead. The start of the second half was marked with Jokic’s fourth foul, which increased the Nuggets’ frustration, who continued to crack under pressure.
At one moment, the Lakers were up 27 points, but after that, they removed the foot of the gas, allowing the rivals to cut down the deficit to a bearable measure.
Anthony Davis was looking unstoppable, as he had no opponent under the rim, due to Denver’s foul trouble. AD posted 37 points with 10 rebounds and four assists. The All-NBA First-team center was 12-for-21 from the field, and 12-for-15 from the line.
LeBron had 15 points and 12 assists, with six boards. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 and was very good with executing threes, 3-for-5, while Dwight Howard not only played good defense on Jokic but managed score 13 points in 16 minutes.
Jokic had 21 points and 6 boards, reaching foul trouble pretty soon, and playing just 25 minutes. The same goes for Murray, who also had 21 points, with 5 assists.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 with 10 boards off the bench.
LeBron Angry Because of the MVP Voting
When asked how he feels about Giannis Antotekounmpo winning another MVP award, LeBron was pretty straightforward.
“It pissed me off,” he said.
The four-time winner of this honor was a little bit disappointed with the voting results, stressing out that he got only 16 first-place selections. The entire LA team stood behind their leader, claiming that he is the best player in the league.
“No disrespect for Giannis, Giannis had a great season. He’s a great player, but what LeBron does for our team to me is unparalleled,” Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel said.
Game 2 of this series is on Sunday.
