The Denver Nuggets won Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and Nikola Jokic once again etched his name in the NBA history books.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, Jokic is the first player in NBA history with a 30-point triple-double and 70% shooting in consecutive games.
Jokic finished Game 1 with 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists in 42 minutes while shooting 12-of-17 from the field, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. The Nuggets beat the Lakers by a final score of 132-126 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
During his postgame press conference, Lakers star Anthony Davis was asked to talk about Jokic, who is looking to win his first championship. As expected, Davis had nothing but positive things to say about the Nuggets superstar.
“I mean, he’s a two-time MVP,” Davis said. “He’s very skilled, obviously as his numbers show. Made some tough shots. Just try to make it tough for him. Switching up matchups and schemes on him, but he’s been playing well through the entire season and especially in this playoffs. So you tip your hat to him.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Jokic hit a tough 3-pointer over Davis at the buzzer to end the third quarter and all Davis could do was smile since he played sound defense.
“I just looked at him and just smiled,” Davis said. “There’s nothing else I could have done. 40 feet away from the basket, one dribble, kind of throws it up and it goes in. So it was definitely one of them nights, but we’re encouraged about the second half of the game and things we can get better at and make some adjustments going into Game 2.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Davis was incredible in Game 1 for the Lakers. The eight-time All-Star had 40 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in 42 minutes. However, Jokic and the Nuggets used a strong first half to take Game 1. Denver outscored Los Angeles 37-25 in the first quarter and 35-29 in the second quarter.
Jokic is now averaging 31.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 10.1 assists in the 2023 playoffs. The future Hall of Famer is three wins away from reaching his first NBA Finals.
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